August 4, 2025
About half of the public consider the cost of groceries to be a major source of stress in their life right now, and 19% of those concerned have used deferred payment services to fund groceries at some point.
Overall, 29% of the public have ever used deferred payment services, sometimes called Buy Now Pay Later, for health care, entertainment, groceries, or restaurant meals. Use of these services is higher among adults under age 45 compared with older adults.
People experiencing economic stress are much more likely to use these services.
Fifty-three percent of adults report that grocery expenses are a major source of stress, and another 33% say they are a minor stress. About half also identify housing costs as a major concern. Additionally, 43% express stress related to their personal income and savings. Health care costs are also a major source of stress for 4 in 10 adults.Fewer report major stress from debt or the cost of child care.
Overall, 75% say one or more of these financial factors cause them major stress. These individuals with significant stressors in their life are more likely to use Buy Now Pay Later services than those who report minor or no stress. For example, 21% of people who experience any major stress have used Buy Now Pay Later services for medical or dental expenses, whereas 8% of those with minor or no stress. .
Adults under age 45 report higher levels of stress related to their earnings, the cost of housing, student debt, and childcare compared with older adults. In other areas, stress levels are generally comparable across age groups such as the cost of groceries and the amount of money saved, and the cost of health care.
The nationwide poll was conducted July 10-14, 2025 using the AmeriSpeak® Panel, the probability-based panel of NORC at the University of Chicago. Online and telephone interviews using landlines and cell phones were conducted with 1,437 adults. The overall margin of sampling error is +/- 3.6 percentage points. Respondents age 18-29 were sampled at a higher rate than their proportion of the population for reasons of analysis. The overall margin of sampling error for the 386 interviews completed with respondents age 18-29 is +/- 6.6 percentage points.
- Suggested Citation: AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. “Support for legal abortion remains strong.” (July 2025).
