更多z世代借贷者表示自己一边背负信用卡债务一边投资股票

MoreGenZborrowersreportcarryingcreditcarddebtwhileinvestinginstocks

Atougherentry-leveljobmarketandeasieraccesstocreditandinvestingappsareamongtheforcesreshapinghowGenZmanagesmoney

ManyyoungpeopleintheUnitedStatesarerackingupintereston

theircreditcardsatthesametimeaswantingtobuymorestocks,

accordingtoDeloitte’sConsumerSignalssurvey,anonlineconsumerpanelfieldedmonthlythathighlightsthefinancialprioritiesof1,000US-basedrespondents.

GenZisn’tthefirstgenerationtojuggledebtandthedesiretobuildwealth.Buttheyarecarryingbalancesmorethanothergenerationsdidatthesameage.

1

Theirfinanciallifeistakingshapeinan

uncertainentry-leveljobmarket.Recentcollegegraduateshavefacedhigherunemploymentthanthenationalaveragesince2019.This

year,thatgapwidenedtooneofitslargestsince1990.

2

What’s

different,too,istiming:“Buynow,paylater”andlow-friction

investingappswerealreadymainstreambythetimemostofGenZstartedmanagingtheirmoney.

ThesurveyresultsillustratetheuniquemoneyhabitsofGenZ

adults,whicharepromptingfinancialfirmstochangetheirapproachtoappealtoyoungerconsumers.“GenZistryingtobalance

financialdisciplineandoptimism,”saysStephenRogers,managingdirectoroftheDeloitteConsumerIndustryCenteratDeloitte

ServicesLP,whichfieldstheConsumerSignalssurvey.“Thejob

markethasmadetheshorttermfeelunstable,sothey’reborrowing

togetthroughit.Thelongtermstillfeelsinvestable,sothey’re

fundingthattoo.That’snotaparadox.That’swhatrational

behaviorlookslikewhenyou’reuncertainaboutthenext12monthsbutstillbelieveinthenext20years.”

AddsMichelleGauchat,Deloitte’sUSbankingandcapitalmarkets

leaderatDeloitteConsultingLLP:“GenZisspending,saving,and

investingdifferentlythanothergenerationsinpartbecausetheygrewupwithsmartphonesattheirfingertips.Ourclientsarereally

focusedonhowtoservethisgroupofdigital-savvycustomers.”

MoreGenZconsumersare

holdingcreditcardbalancesformorethanamonth

Whilerespondentsfromothergenerationsappeartobemore

activelymanagingtheirdebt,ourJune2026surveyfindingsindicatethatanincreasinglylargershareofUS-basedGenZborrowersage18anduparecarryingcreditcardbalancesformorethanamonth(figure1).FromQ32023toQ22026,thatsharerosealmost20%forGenZwhiledecliningacrossallothergenerations.

MOREGENZBORROWERSREPORTCARRYINGCREDITCARDDEBTWHILEINVESTINGINSTOCKS•PG1

MOREGENZBORROWERSREPORTCARRYINGCREDITCARDDEBTWHILEINVESTINGINSTOCKS•PG2

GenZisalsothefastest-growingsegmentofBNPLborrowers

TheshareofGenZrespondentsusing“buynow,paylater”(BNPL)servicessurgedto22.8%inthefirstquarterof2026,thehighest

levelofanygenerationtrackedinthreeyearsofdata,beforeeasingto17.6%inthesecondquarter(figure2).

GenZisfastoutpacingothergenerationsinitsadoptionofBNPL,andotherDeloitteresearchsuggeststhattheseconsumerscouldbeseekingnotjustcurrentaccesstoitems,butalsoaccesstomore

spendingpower:

Deloitte’sBNPLreport

foundthat,acrossall

generations,27%ofshoppersusedBNPLtobuyitemsthey’d

otherwisehavedelayed,and15%optedforpricierpurchasesthanplanned.

3

MOREGENZBORROWERSREPORTCARRYINGCREDITCARDDEBTWHILEINVESTINGINSTOCKS•PG3

GenZrespondentsaremore

uncomfortablewiththeircreditcarddebtthanothergenerations

GenZrespondents’reportedlevelofdiscomfortwiththeircreditcarddebthasremainedmostlyunchangedacrosssurveyperiods.However,overthepastfouryears,othergenerationshavegrownmorecomfortablewiththeircreditcarddebt,nearlydoublingthegapingenerations’comfortlevels,oursurveyshows(figure3).

MOREGENZBORROWERSREPORTCARRYINGCREDITCARDDEBTWHILEINVESTINGINSTOCKS•PG4

GenZrespondentssaythey’re

borrowingintheshortterm,buttheyalsoseeklonger-termstockgains

Accordingtooursurvey,GenZrespondentsplantoallocatealargershareoftheirsavingsandinvestmentstostocks,mutualfunds,andretirementplansthantheydidthreeyearsago(figure4).Meanwhile,millennials,GenX,andbabyboomersplantoshiftmoretoward

cashoverthesameperiod.GenZrespondents’plannedallocationtocryptohasremainedroughlystable,whilerespondentsfromother

generationsplantopullbackcomparedwithsurveyresultsfrom2023.

MOREGENZBORROWERSREPORTCARRYINGCREDITCARDDEBTWHILEINVESTINGINSTOCKS•PG5

Accordingtothesurvey,GenZappearstobemanagingtheir

financesinnovelways,withshort-termborrowingandlong-termsavingbehaviorsthatcouldpresentopportunitiesforfinancial

servicesfirmstobettermeetyoungcustomers’needs.

MOREGENZBORROWERSREPORTCARRYINGCREDITCARDDEBTWHILEINVESTINGINSTOCKS•PG6

Methodology

ThisresearchisbasedonDeloitte’sConsumerSignalssurvey,alongitudinalexplorationofconsumerspendingbehaviorandthedriversbehindit.Everymonth,ConsumerSignalssurveysthousandsofconsumersacrossmorethanadozen

countriesabouttheirsenseoffinancialwell-being,spendingintentions,andupcomingpurchases.Forthisanalysis,we

drawondatacollectedfromJuly2022throughJune2026,focusingspecificallyonresponsesfromUSconsumers.Surveydetails:

Onlineconsumerpanel

.N=48,000(n=1,000US-basedconsumerseachwave),adultsage18+

.Countrymarginoferror:±3%

ResponsedatafortheUnitedStatesareweightedatthecountrylevelaccordingtopubliclyavailableageandincomeprofiles

ContinuetheconversationMeettheindustryleaders

MichelleGauchat

Principal,USbankingandcapital

marketsleader|DeloitteConsultingLLP

DeloitteUnitedStates

LananhNguyen

FirmManagingDirector|CenterforFinancialServicesandCenterfor

RegulatoryStrategy

DeloitteUnitedStates

NickCowell

Principal,USretailbankingleader|DeloitteConsultingLLP

DeloitteUnitedStates

BY

MichelleGauchat

DeloitteUnitedStates

SamiaHazuria

DeloitteIndia

ENDNOTES

1.TransUnion,“

GenZconsumersareusingcreditmore,anddifferently,thantheirmillennialcounterpartsatthebeginningoftheircredit

journeys

,”May8,2024.

2.FederalReserveBankofNewYork,“

Unemploymentratesforrecentcollegegraduatesversusothergroups

,”accessedSept.2,2026.

3.MichelleGauchat,ZacharyAron,MenesEtingueKum,GopiBilla,andApurvaPangam,“

Thefuture