About the study
Money surveyed 1,010 Australians to gauge whether they believe their partner spends too much on non-essential items or services, and how this might impact their own financial profile. Out of the respondents, 841 stated that they have a partner.
The pool of survey respondents matches the age and geographical spread of the Australian population.
How many Australians share a bank account or credit card with their partner?
Money asked survey respondents whether they share a bank account or credit card with their partner.
The survey found that the majority of respondents who have a partner said that they share a bank account or credit card with their partner. Specifically:
- 43% said yes
- 40% said no
- 17% stated that they do not have a partner
Importantly, if you have a joint credit card with a partner, missed payments or defaults caused by their overspending could impact your credit score as well as theirs. This, in turn, could impact your ability to access credit in future, including when making a home loan application.
Half of 31-50-year-old respondents and almost half (47%) of over-50s in a partnership share a bank account or credit card with their significant other. This compares to only 36% of 18–30-year-olds.
Do you share a bank account or credit card with your partner? By age
Across the states, West Australians and South Australians in partnerships are more likely to share a bank account or credit card with their partner (49% and 48% said yes) than other states. This is followed by:
- 44% of Victorians
- 42% of NSW respondents
- 41% of Queenslanders
Specifically, respondents in NSW are more likely to have separate bank accounts or credit cards from their partner’s (chosen by 44%). This compares with:
- 38% of Victorians
- 38% of Queenslanders
- 38% of South Australians
- 36% of West Australians
Do you share a bank account or credit card with your partner? By state
Does your partner spend too much on non-essential items or services?
Among the respondents who do have partners, over a quarter (26%) believe their partner spends too much on non-essential items or services. The rest indicated that their partner doesn’t overdo their discretionary spending.
Across the age groups, the survey found that younger Aussies are more likely to believe their partner is spending too much on non-essential items or services compared. Specifically:
- 35% of 18–30-year-olds
- 33% of 31–50-year-olds
- 15% of over-50s
In a comparison of the states, South Australian respondents are more likely to believe that their partners are spending too much on non-essentials (chosen by 30%), followed by:
- 29% of Victorians
- 25% of NSW respondents
- 25% of West Australians
- 24% of Queenslanders
How much do Australians believe their partner spends a month that they think is wasteful?
Money asked respondents how much their partner spends per month that they believe is wasteful. The survey found that:
- for 14% of respondents, it’s less than $100/month
- for 28%, it’s $100-200/month
- for 21%, it’s $200-300/month
- for 31%, it’s $300-600/month
- for 9%, it’s more than $600/month
Across the genders, men are most likely to believe that their partner’s monthly spending of $100-200 is wasteful – chosen by 33% of male respondents - compared with only 24% of female respondents. Specifically, male respondents believe their partners spend wastefully at the following levels:
- 14% say less than $100/month
- 20% say $200-$300/month
- 12% say $300-$400/month
- 19% say $400-$600/month
- 3% say $600-$800/month
- 0% say over $800/month
Female respondents are more likely to report that their partner’s wasteful spending at over $600/month. Specifically:
- 13% say their partner spend less than $100/month wastefully
- 24% say $100-$200/month
- 22% say $200-$300/month
- 30% say $300-$600/month
- 11% say over $600/month
An analysis across the age groups found a quarter of respondents aged 18-30 say that their partner’s wasteful spending is at around $400-600 each month. This compares with:
- 7% of 31-50-year-olds
- 6% of over-50s
How much do Australians believe their partner spends a month that they think is wasteful? By state
Response | Less than $100/month |
|---|---|
NSW (%) | 13 |
VIC (%) | 5 |
QLD (%) | 24 |
SA (%) | 16 |
WA (%) | 17 |
Response | $100-200/month |
NSW (%) | 26 |
VIC (%) | 26 |
QLD (%) | 32 |
SA (%) | 53 |
WA (%) | 22 |
Response | $200-300/month |
NSW (%) | 20 |
VIC (%) | 24 |
QLD (%) | 16 |
SA (%) | 21 |
WA (%) | 17 |
Response | $300-400/month |
NSW (%) | 7 |
VIC (%) | 21 |
QLD (%) | 11 |
SA (%) | 11 |
WA (%) | 13 |
Response | $400-600/month |
NSW (%) | 24 |
VIC (%) | 19 |
QLD (%) | 11 |
SA (%) | 0 |
WA (%) | 17 |
Response | $600-800/month |
NSW (%) | 6 |
VIC (%) | 3 |
QLD (%) | 5 |
SA (%) | 0 |
WA (%) | 0 |
Response | $800-1000/month |
NSW (%) | 3 |
VIC (%) | 2 |
QLD (%) | 0 |
SA (%) | 0 |
WA (%) | 4 |
Response | More than $1000 |
NSW (%) | 1 |
VIC (%) | 0 |
QLD (%) | 0 |
SA (%) | 0 |
WA (%) | 9 |
| Response | NSW (%) | VIC (%) | QLD (%) | SA (%) | WA (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Less than $100/month | 13 | 5 | 24 | 16 | 17 |
$100-200/month | 26 | 26 | 32 | 53 | 22 |
$200-300/month | 20 | 24 | 16 | 21 | 17 |
$300-400/month | 7 | 21 | 11 | 11 | 13 |
$400-600/month | 24 | 19 | 11 | 0 | 17 |
$600-800/month | 6 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
$800-1000/month | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
More than $1000 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
In 2022, how many Aussies and/or their partners struggled to meet essential expenses?
Money asked respondents whether or not they and/or their partners struggled to meet essential expenses in 2022, including personal, household or car expenses. Money found a 50/50 split between respondents.
Among the respondents who stated that either they or their partner have struggled to meet essential expenses, 56% are female and 44% are male.
A higher proportion of younger respondents struggled to meet essential expenses. Specifically:
- 57% of 18–30-year-olds
- 52% of 31-50-year-olds
Across the states, respondents in NSW found the greatest struggle when it came to meeting essential expenses (chosen by 64%). In comparison, South Australian respondents were least likely to struggle to meet essential expenses in 2022. Across the rest of the states:
- 45% of Victorians struggled to meet essential expenses
- 46% of Queenslanders struggled to meet essential expenses
- 39% of West Australians struggled to meet essential expenses
