As in December, more than half of adults 18 to 42 were optimistic about their financial future, while most of those ages 43 and older were more pessimistic about their financial futures.

Overall, 47% of all respondents remained optimistic about their own financial futures in April, down from 49% in December.

Grant Gallagher

"We continue to see consistent findings across age groups in terms of optimism levels," Grant Gallagher, Affinity's head of financial well-being and brand communications, said.

However, 55% of all respondents said they somewhat or strongly agree their finances are a significant source of stress, up from 51% in December's survey.

While 57% of Gen Zers (ages 18-26) and 54% of millennials (ages 27 to 42) said they remained optimistic about their own financial futures, more than a third of them listed food security as their biggest concern.

Jacqui Kearns, Affinity's chief brand and well-being officer, said, "people are feeling more stressed about their finances in light of the current economy."

Jacqui Kearns

Other findings included the following:

• 29% of respondents were concerned about having enough money to pay for food in the next month. Food security was the biggest concern for millennials (37%) and Gen Z (36%) adults.
• 47% of individuals remained optimistic about their financial future. Despite increasing financial stress, optimism remains steady quarter over quarter. Broken down by generation, Gen Z (57%) and millennial (54%) adults were the most optimistic respondents.
• Pessimism reigned among the old and middle-aged. Only 44% of baby boomers (ages 59 to 77) and 43% of Gen Xers (43 to 58) were optimistic about their own financial futures. Among those 43 to 77, 60% said they have a negative outlook about the health of the economy over the next year.
• 49% of all respondents were somewhat or strongly confident in their ability to cover costs related to an unforeseen life event, down from 58% in the winter survey. Older generations were significantly more confident than younger people.
• 39% of all respondents said building an emergency fund was a top financial priority, behind paying off debt (47%) and saving for retirement (46%).
• 54% of all respondents are taking on or strongly considering a second job or gig work to supplement their income, but the percentages fell with age. A side job or gig work was considerably more common among millennials (70%), Gen Z (69%) and Gen X (62%), compared with 35% for baby boomers and 23% for the Silent Generation (ages 78-95).