The latest Consumer Pulse data from Agile Market Intelligence paints a sobering picture of household financial sentiment in June 2025. Although 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.
Key stats you need to know
- Financial anxiety is prevalent in 1 in 3 Australians.
- Only 22% of Australians say they’re better off in June than they were last year.
- Consumer free cash flow is improving, but weaker with consumer debt holders and women.
Financial anxiety prevalent in 1 in 3 Australians
When asked about how financially secure Australians feel, we found that:
- Overall, 1 in 3 Australians (33%) reported feeling financially anxious in June, down by 2% compared to March. Meanwhile 48% of Australians reported feel financially secure, up by 3% compared to March.
- Australians with consumer debt, however, reported significantly higher anxiety, with 43% (0% change). Australians with mortgages saw lower and more stable anxiety levels at 31% of the population, while debt-free households were the most secure, with anxiety levels steady at 25%.
- Young women (18–34) continue to report the highest levels of financial anxiety at 38% in June 2025, even relative to their male peers (24%). In contrast, older men (55+) remain the most financially secure, with anxiety holding steady at just 24%, highlighting a significant gender and age gap in perceived financial wellbeing.
Only 22% of Australians say they’re better off in June than they were last year
When asked to compare their financial situation to 12 months ago, we found that:
- Only 22% of Australians reported that their financial situation is better today than it was 12 months ago, with 35% saying they are worse off today. However, overall financial health perception is continuing to improve slightly, with the share of Australians saying they are worse off falling from 40% in March to 35% in June 2025.
- Debt-free and mortgage-holding households are showing signs of recovery, with fewer reporting financial deterioration, while consumer debt holders remain the most pessimistic, with over 40% saying they are worse off and only 1 in 5 seeing improvement.
- Young men (18–34) are the most financially optimistic, with over a third saying they are better off and fewer than one in five reporting a decline in financial health. Women, especially those aged 55 and over, remain the most pessimistic, with nearly half consistently saying their financial situation has worsened over the past year.
Consumer free cash flow is improving, but weaker with consumer debt holders and women
When asked to report their predicted household net cashflow position for this month, we found that:
- Household cashflow is improving overall, with the share of Australians reporting negative cashflow falling from 23% in March to 19% in June 2025, and positive cashflow rising to 33%.
- Consumer debt holders continue to face the greatest strain, with 26% in negative cashflow in June - nearly double the rate of debt-free households (14%), highlighting ongoing vulnerability in this group.
- Older men (55+) and younger men (18–34) report the strongest cashflow positions, with only 11–15% in negative cashflow and over 40% in positive cashflow, indicating greater financial stability across male age groups. Meanwhile, women aged 55+ are the most cashflow-stressed group, with 25% reporting negative cashflow in May and only 24% positive, highlighting a persistent vulnerability among older women.
About Consumer Pulse
The Consumer Pulse is a monthly tracker developed by Agile Market Intelligence 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.
