2 in 5 Aussies feel debt anxiety

New research shows that, while levels of financial anxiety nationwide are no longer rising, they are also not improving, particularly for those with personal debt or outside the labour force.

Agile Market Intelligence has released results from its latest Consumer Pulse survey, which is a monthly tracker of 1,500 Australians, developed to monitor consumer sentiment, financial stress, and behavioural shifts across key household segments. The survey provides a real-time view of financial wellbeing in Australia, segmented by debt status and home ownership.

The latest data, covering June 2025, shows that while financial anxiety levels have eased slightly in some groups, households facing unemployment or carrying consumer debt continue to struggle, with widening gaps in financial resilience across employment types, age groups, and debt profiles.

As recently reported by HR Leader, one in three Australians feels financially anxious, and there has been an increase in the number of Australians prioritising saving, with many seeing everyday expenses as their primary concern.

Debt anxiety

The research found that financial anxiety affected one in three Australians (32 per cent) in July, which was almost unchanged from June. Among consumer debt holders, anxiety sat at 41 per cent, significantly more than of debt-free households (27 per cent).

Mortgage holders reported lower levels of anxiety at 26 per cent, while retirees remain the most financially secure (25 per cent).

Anxiety levels are no longer rising but have failed to improve, especially for those carrying personal debt or outside the labour force, Agile wrote in a statement.

“Unemployed Australians show the highest levels of distress, with 59 per cent reporting anxiety. The persistence of high anxiety signals continued strain despite broader economic stability. Secure sentiment is strongest among debt-free consumers and employed adults, but flat month-on-month,” it said.

Agile Market Intelligence director Michael Johnson said: “We’re seeing a split consumer landscape – while some households hold steady, others are stuck in a cycle of debt and distress. Debt remains one of the most reliable indicators of financial anxiety.”

Recovering financial health

Agile also found that just one-quarter (23 per cent) of Australians say their financial health has improved over the past 12 months, with over one in three (35 per cent) saying they are worse off, and 42 per cent say there has been no change.

Consumer debt holders are most pessimistic, the agency detailed, with 40 per cent saying their situation has worsened, while over half (52 per cent) of unemployed Australians also say they are worse off than a year ago.

Perceptions of financial health remain subdued, with improvement limited and pessimism persistent. The trend, Agile suggested, “points to stagnation rather than recovery, particularly among indebted and unemployed segments. Meanwhile, debt-free households are more likely to report stability, with only 33 per cent saying they’re worse off”.

“When nearly half the population reports no change and only a fifth see improvement, it’s clear the recovery narrative hasn’t reached most households,” said Johnson.

“For those in financial distress, the past year has offered little relief. However, it does appear that the trends are moving in a slightly more positive direction.”

Cash flow stability

Elsewhere, one in three (33 per cent) reported being in a positive cash flow position in July, compared to 20 per cent in negative. Debt-free households are far more stable, Agile said, with only 15 per cent in negative cash flow and 35 per cent in positive.

Further, consumer debt holders remain the most cash flow-constrained, with 26 per cent in deficit and just 27 per cent in surplus. Mortgage holders show moderate resilience, the agency noted, with 19 per cent in negative and 37 per cent in positive cash flow.

“While overall cash flow has not worsened, the underlying picture reveals significant vulnerability among indebted and low-income consumers,” Agile said.

“Unemployed Australians continue to struggle: 38 per cent are in deficit and just 12 per cent in surplus. The current environment is holding steady (but not improving) for many Australians.”

Johnson said: “We’re seeing a plateau in household cash flow, but not a rebound. The question now is how long vulnerable groups can maintain this fragile equilibrium.”