Economics
2024 Q2 Report: How U.S. Households Handle Emergency Expenses
Report summary
This report highlights key findings from the latest wave of Morning Consult’s Quarterly Survey of Household Emergency Expenses and Decisionmaking. The report complements the data and analysis available on Morning Consult’s SHEED website.
The first section of the survey replicates questions from the “Dealing With Unexpected Expenses” section of the Federal Reserve’s annual Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking, which poses hypothetical questions about how consumers would respond to an emergency expense. The second section of Morning Consult’s survey focuses on actual outcomes reported by consumers who experienced emergency expenses, allowing for comparison between theoretical and observed behaviors.
Key Takeaways
- U.S. adults’ perceived and actual capacity to absorb emergency expenses increased from Q1 to Q2 2024 in a positive sign for household financial security.
- The apparent improvements in budgetary resilience have taken place despite emergency expenses occurring more frequently and with the cost of these expenses soaring higher.
- Not all groups have shared equally in the overall improvement in consumer financial situations: Low-income adults facing unexpected emergency expenses increasingly relied on debt, spending cutbacks and savings drawdowns to make ends meet.
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About the authors
Kayla Bruun is a senior economist at decision intelligence company Morning Consult, where she analyzes consumer spending, inflation and household finance trends, leveraging the company’s proprietary high-frequency data.
Prior to joining Morning Consult, Kayla was a key member of the corporate strategy team at telecommunications company SES, where she produced market intelligence and industry analysis of mobility markets.
Kayla also served as an economist at IHS Markit, where she covered global services industries, provided price forecasts, produced written analyses and served as a subject-matter expert on client-facing consulting projects.
Kayla earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Emory University and an MBA with a certificate in nonmarket strategy from Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business.
Follow her on Twitter @KaylaBruun. For speaking opportunities and booking requests, please email [email protected]
Sofia Baig is an economist at decision intelligence company Morning Consult, where she works on descriptive and predictive analysis that leverages Morning Consult’s proprietary high-frequency data. Previously, she worked for the Federal Reserve Board as a quantitative analyst, focusing on topics related to monetary policy and bank stress testing. She received a bachelor’s degree in economics from Pomona College and a master’s degree in mathematics and statistics from Georgetown University.
Follow her on Twitter @_SofiaBaig_For speaking opportunities and booking requests, please email [email protected]
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