Nearly Half of Americans More Stressed Heading into 2026, Allianz Life Study Finds

Nearly half of Americans say they are more stressed heading into 2026 than they were at the beginning of 2025, according to the 2026 New Year’s Resolutions Study* from the Allianz Center for the Future of Retirement, part of Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America (Allianz Life).

At the end of 2025, 48% say they are more stressed than they were at the start of the year. This is up from 43% last year.

Among Americans who say they are more stressed financially compared to last year, the top reasons include: costs of day-to-day expenses (54%), income is too low (46%), not saving enough for an emergency fund (39%), too much debt (35%), high health care costs (34%), and lack of job security (33%). Health care costs and lack of job security in particular rose significantly from last year.

With that sense of job insecurity, more Americans say they will start or continue looking for a new job in 2026 (56%, up from 47% last year). Still, many are planning to stay put and take part in “job hugging.” Seven in 10 (71%) who are not likely to look for a job say it’s because it seems safer to stay where they are in the current economic environment.

Financial stress hits retirement confidence

With that, 27% say they have decreased confidence in their ability to meet their retirement goals compared to last year. In particular, Gen X (38%) and Gen Z (32%) are more likely than millennials (24%) or boomers (20%) to say they have decreased confidence compared to last year. What’s more, many Americans don’t feel like they are making progress toward retirement. About one in five (21%) say they are further from reaching their retirement goals than they were a year ago.

“When feeling financially stressed, long-term goals like retirement can be the easiest to sideline because you don’t feel it in your day-to-day life,” says Kelly LaVigne, VP of consumer insights, Allianz Life. “But achieving long-term financial security takes time and you may be better off consistently working toward retirement incrementally than trying to wait until you can devote a larger part of your budget to the goal.”

Americans struggle with financial discipline

The majority of Gen Z (56%) and millennials (63%) say they are likely to make and keep a resolution in 2026 to manage money better or save more. Less than half of Gen X (43%) and boomers (23%) said the same. Overall, 46% of Americans say they were likely to make and keep a resolution to manage money better or save more. This was the second most popular resolution after exercise and diet.

Many Americans say they established good financial habits in 2025. More than one in three (34%) say they reduced their spending.

Still, Americans say their worst financial habits are spending too much money on things they don’t need (32%), not saving as much as they could (25%), not saving any money (23%), and not paying down debt fast enough (22%). Gen Z was more likely than other generations to say they spend too much on things they don’t need (50%) and don’t save any money (32%).

“At every stage of life, it can be important to consider a written financial strategy so that you document your financial goals,” LaVigne says. “Without a documented strategy for your finances, it can be tempting to spend now instead of saving for later. If you know why you are saving and what goals you are working toward, making those decisions can be simpler.”

* Allianz Center for the Future of Retirement conducted an online survey, the 2026 New Year’s Resolutions Study in November 2025 with a nationally representative sample of 1,038 respondents age 18+ in the contiguous U.S.

The Allianz Center for the Future for Retirement produces insights and research as a part of Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America.

Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America does not provide financial planning services.

About Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America

Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America (Allianz Life), one of the Ethisphere World’s Most Ethical Companies^®, has been trusted since 1896 to help millions of Americans prepare for financial uncertainties and retirement with a variety of innovative risk management solutions. In 2024, Allianz Life provided additional value to its policyholders via distributions of more than $18.6 billion. Allianz Life is a leading provider of fixed index annuities, registered index-linked annuities, and indexed universal life insurance. Additionally, Allianz Investment Management LLC (AllianzIM), a registered investment adviser and wholly owned subsidiary of Allianz Life, offers a suite of exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Allianz Life and AllianzIM are part of Allianz SE, a global leader in the financial services industry with more than 157,000 employees in nearly 70 countries. Allianz Life is a proud sponsor of Allianz Field^® in St. Paul, Minnesota, home of Major League Soccer’s Minnesota United.