Cameron Micallef* reports on a new survey thab has found a poor mood is having a negative impact on Australians’ savings habits.
Image: Peggy und Marco Lachmann-Anke
A negative mindset is just one of the reasons Australians are struggling to save, with “buy now, pay later” services and social media also blamed for their impact on savings goals, a new report has indicated.
In a new study released by MyState Bank, six out of 10 Australians stated that a poor mood is having a negative impact on their savings habits.
Survey results showed that an individual’s emotional state, which is impacted by factors such as having a bad day or simply being bored, has a negative or very negative impact on the majority of Australians’ bank balances.
As a result, the avoidance of emotional decision-making will help Australians in a low wage environment that is making saving harder, according to MyState Bank’s Managing Director and CEO, Melos Sulicich.
“Aussies are feeling the pinch at the moment — wage growth is stagnant, savings interest rates are at all-time lows, and the cost of living continues to rise,” said Mr Sulicich.
What is stopping Australians from saving
The research further highlighted that more than one in four Australians don’t have a budget in place to track expenses, while almost one in three indicated they are saving less now than they did two years ago or have never managed to save any money.
Buy now, pay later services, including Afterpay, have topped the list for Australia’s biggest savings roadblock, according to the survey, with two-thirds of individuals surveyed admitting these products have a negative or very negative influence on their ability to resist impulse purchases.
More than one in five Gen Xers thought their ability to save was very negatively impacted by buy now, pay later services, a figure closely followed by Gen Zers.
Mr Sulicich commented on the phenomenon of consumers falling for the buy now, pay later effect, stating that individuals now “don’t need to wait to buy something when they have instant access to credit”.
“The ease at which anyone can sign up to these buy now, pay later services is concerning, and it is easy to lose track of your spending,” said Mr Sulicich.
“If you are cash-strapped, the service can help, but it can compromise your long-term goals.”
MyState Bank’s findings showed that 57 per cent of Australians are negatively influenced by friends or co-workers, while 61 per cent also think social media influencers are having a negative impact on their savings.
“More people have access to social media platforms than ever before and as a result, are exposed to influencers, retailers and friends showing off clothes, holidays and gadgets,” said Mr Sulicich.
“Social media users in Australia are some of the most active in the world, with recent data showing there are now 15 million active Australians on Facebook and 9 million on Instagram.”
“As humans, we can’t seem to help but compare ourselves to what we see on social media and may feel like we have to spend more to appear to be keeping up with the Joneses,” he said.
* Cameron Micallef is a journalist at Momentum Media in Sydney.
This article first appeared at www.nestegg.com.au.
