Soaring living costs push majority of parents into debt

This story version has been formatted as an on-air script for broadcast outlets. See the original research story here.

THE SOARING COST OF LIVING AND FINANCIAL PRESSURES ON FAMILIES HAVE FORCED SIX IN 10 PARENTS INTO DEBT TO PROVIDE FOR THEIR CHILDREN.

THAT’S ACCORDING TO A SURVEY OF 2,000 PARENTS FROM NATIONAL DEBT RELIEF, WHICH EXAMINED THE ECONOMIC CHALLENGES AND MOUNTING DEBT FAMILIES ACROSS AMERICA ARE FACING.

SIXTY-THREE PERCENT OF PARENTS IN DEBT ADMITTED THEIR FINANCIAL SITUATION IS PREVENTING THEM FROM PROVIDING FOR THEIR CHILDREN THE WAY THEY’D LIKE.

THAT’S SIGNIFICANTLY MORE THAN THE 48 PERCENT OF PARENTS WITHOUT DEBT WHO FEEL THE SAME WAY.

FOR PARENTS IN DEBT – SOME 77 PERCENT OF THOSE SURVEYED IN THE TALKER RESEARCH POLL – ABOUT HALF (48%) SAID THEIR DEBT IS BECOMING ‘UNMANAGEABLE.’

Survey methodology:

Talker Research surveyed 2,000 U.S. parents of children aged 0–18, with an even split between parents of: 0-4 years of age, 5-12 years of age, 13-18 years of age. There was also a quota to include a minimum of 250 single mothers and 250 single fathers. The survey was commissioned by National Debt Relief and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between July 16 and 24, 2025.

We are sourcing from a non-probability frame, and the two main sources we use are:

• Traditional online access panels — where respondents opt-in to take part in online market research for an incentive
• Programmatic — where respondents are online and are given the option to take part in a survey to receive a virtual incentive usually related to the online activity they are engaging in

Those who did not fit the specified sample were terminated from the survey. As the survey is fielded, dynamic online sampling is used, adjusting targeting to achieve the quotas specified as part of the sampling plan.

Regardless of which sources a respondent came from, they were directed to an Online Survey, where the survey was conducted in English; a link to the questionnaire can be shared upon request. Respondents were awarded points for completing the survey. These points have a small cash-equivalent monetary value.

Cells are only reported on for analysis if they have a minimum of 80 respondents, and statistical significance is calculated at the 95% level. Data is not weighted, but quotas and other parameters are put in place to reach the desired sample.

Interviews are excluded from the final analysis if they failed quality-checking measures. This includes:

• Speeders: Respondents who complete the survey in a time that is quicker than one-third of the median length of interview are disqualified as speeders
• Open ends: All verbatim responses (full open-ended questions as well as other please specify options) are checked for inappropriate or irrelevant text
• Bots: Captcha is enabled on surveys, which allows the research team to identify and disqualify bots
• Duplicates: Survey software has “deduping” based on digital fingerprinting, which ensures nobody is allowed to take the survey more than once

It is worth noting that this survey was only available to individuals with internet access, and the results may not be generalizable to those without internet access.