Agile Market Intelligence’s Consumer Pulse surveys around 1,500 Australian consumers a month to monitor consumer sentiment, financial stress, and behavioural shifts across key household segments. As interest rates were cut in August 2025, we take a look at how different consumer types shift their financial priorities.
Key stats you need to know
- Australians who either have consumer debt, or are debt-free have dramatically de-prioritised day-to-day expenses in September, shifting focus on saving.
- Financial priorities for mortgage holders remain focused on debt repayments, with no apparent shift despite RBA’s rate cuts throughout 2025.
Debt repayment remains the top priority for most mortgage holders
- 65% of Australian mortgage holders put debt repayment as a financial priority.
- 25% prioritise growing their savings, slightly down from 26% last month.
- A steady 9% share focuses on day-to-day expenses.
Despite the instances of rate cuts throughout the year, mortgage holders appear to consistently prioritise debt repayment as their top financial priority. Shift in priorities have been almost negligible throughout the year as 65% of Australians prioritise debt repayment this September. Those focused on saving are at 25%, and those who prioritise day-to-day expenses remain at a steady 9%, virtually unchanged in the past 4 months.
“Mortgage holders remain remarkably consistent in their financial priorities despite multiple rate cuts this year. With two-thirds still focused on debt repayment, it suggests these borrowers are either locked into higher fixed rates or using any rate relief to accelerate their loan paydowns rather than shifting to other financial goals." said Michael Johnson, Director at Agile Market Intelligence.
Shift from prioritising day-to-day expenses to saving notable among consumer debt holders
- 43% of Australian consumer loan borrowers prioritise saving, up from 39% in the previous month.
- From 23% in August, prioritisation of debt repayments is now down to 18%.
In August, the drop in Australian consumer debt holders focused on debt repayments (from 43% to 39%) translated into more borrowers prioritising savings and day-to-day expenses. This month, while debt repayments have remained a priority for 39% of respondents within the segment, more consumer debt holders are now set on building up their savings. Four out of ten (43%) say setting aside funds for saving is now their main financial priority, the highest since March of this year, and sustaining an upward trend from 36% in July and 39% in August. Consumers focused on survival have also decreased to a 7-month low, from 23% in August to 18% in September.
“The shift among consumer debt holders is encouraging, moving away from survival mode towards building financial buffers.” said Michael Johnson.
Enhanced focus on savings remains steady among debt-free Australians
- 64% of Australians without mortgage or consumer debt prioritise saving.
- Focus on loan payments outside of mortgage and consumer debt rose from 1% last month to 3% in September.
This survey’s debt-free segment consists of households with no mortgage or consumer debt. As with the past 6 months, saving remains a priority for the group. However, the gap between those prioritising saving and survival has significantly widened in August, and survey results show minimal month-on-month change in September. This month, 64% of debt-free Australians prioritise growing their savings, which is slightly lower than the 65% recorded last month. While the share of households prioritising day-to-day expenses also decreased from 34% in August to 33% in September, this dip may reflect the growing portion of this demographic prioritising the repayment of debts other than mortgages and consumer loans.
“Debt-free Australians continue to demonstrate the most stable financial positioning, with nearly two-thirds consistently prioritizing savings. The slight uptick in debt repayments within this segment likely reflects other financial obligations like business loans or investment debt, but their core focus on building wealth remains unchanged." said Michael Johnson.
About the research
This article is based on findings from Agile Market Intelligence’s Consumer Pulse survey, conducted from March to September 2025. The survey collected responses from 10,024 Australian consumers to date. Results were weighted to reflect national population profiles by age, gender, and state.
The Consumer Pulse is a monthly tracker of over 1,500 Australian consumers 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 well-being in Australia, segmented by debt status and home ownership. The sample size for the 1st to 19th of September is 1,365.
