Fifty-five percent of Americans expect to receive a refund on their taxes this year and nearly 37 percent will use their refund to pay off debt, according to a new poll.
The survey also found that lower gasoline prices are helping Americans pay off debt. The Allstate/National Journal Heartland Monitor Poll revealed that 78 percent of the Americans polled are realizing savings at the pump, and 58 percent of them are using these savings to cover basic necessities (31 percent) or to pay off/avoid debt (27 percent).
In addition, 32 percent of those surveyed said that the decline in gas prices has had a “huge” or “significant difference” in their personal financial situations, according to Americans polled who benefited from price savings.
The top priority for spending anticipated tax refunds is paying off debt (37 percent) followed by saving or investing (29 percent) and spending on necessities (20 percent). A recent survey by Bankrate.com also found that the nost popular way Americans plan to spend their tax refunds is on debt (see
The Allstate survey found that the highest expectations for a tax refund come from households that earn between $30,000 and $75,000 per year and among younger age groups. Individuals under 50 years old expressed a higher degree of commitment to pay off debt than older Americans.
Forty percent of Millennials and 45 percent of Gen X’ers plan to use their tax refunds to pay off debt. Across the nation, only 8 percent of the survey respondents said they plan to spend their tax refund on non-essential purchases.
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