Report · Money and Finance

Borrowers often expect their non-mortgage debt to shrink

Reading

A plurality of Americans expect the balance of their non-mortgage debt, from credit cards to student and auto loans, to shrink over the coming year, according to a Verasight survey conducted Dec. 22, 2025 to Jan. 5, 2026. Just over a third (34%) foresee a decrease, ahead of any other single answer.

About three-in-ten (31%) expect no real change and 13% brace for a larger balance, while another 22% say they carry no non-mortgage debt at all.

Topline

single choice

Topline distribution

Borrowers often expect their non-mortgage debt to shrink.

Looking ahead to next year, do you expect the balance of your non-mortgage debt (e.g., credit cards, student loans, auto loans, personal loans) to increase or decrease?

  • Decrease 33.9%
  • Stay about the same 31.1%
  • I do not have non-mortgage debt 21.7%
  • Increase 13.3%

2025 · base n 1,000 · +/- 3.1%

predictions

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Methodology

Full methodology
Mode
Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting
Field dates
2025-12-22 → 2026-01-05
Base (unweighted)
1,000
Margin of error
+/- 3.1%
Module
predictions

Source

Citation

2026 Predictions Survey #2025-183, fielded December 22, 2025-January 5, 2026, N=1,000 United States adults, +/- 3.1%.

https://reports.verasight.io/r/2026-predictions

Verasight survey methodology

How Verasight conducts surveys.

This page describes the Verasight general survey contract, separate from how the Data Library packages it. When a wave report is published, its field dates, sample sizes, and module breakdown are listed in that report.

Mode
Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting.
Population
US adults age 18+.
Sample design
Surveys are run as omnibus or single-topic waves. Omnibus waves are split into modules with their own respondent set, typically around one thousand respondents per module.
Field window
Each wave specifies its own field dates. Most omnibus waves field across roughly two weeks.
Weighting
Per-module weighting to CPS targets including age, race and ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, and metropolitan status.
Partisanship benchmark
Pew Research Center's NPORS benchmarking surveys, three-year running average.
Vote benchmark
2024 presidential vote population benchmarks.
Margin of error
Typically about plus or minus 3.4 to 3.6 percent per module at standard module sizes. Question-level MoE is recomputed when a base shrinks materially below the module baseline.
Reporting
The canonical report hub is reports.verasight.io. Verified legacy reports remain on their original hosts, and unpublished reports are marked pending.
Transparency
Verasight is a member of the American Association for Public Opinion Research Transparency Initiative.

The canonical report hub is reports.verasight.io; older reports may remain on verified legacy hosts.