Working a single job is increasingly becoming insufficient to support the average American lifestyle.
A financial advice site, Bankrate, recently shared findings from a poll conducted by YouGov, revealing that one-third of U.S. adults are engaging in secondary “side hustles” to cover expenses and afford discretionary items.
“More than 1 in 3 (36 percent) side hustlers use side hustle income to pay for regular living expenses, like rent and groceries, and 32 percent of side hustlers think they will always need that work to make ends meet,” the site noted in commentary accompanying the poll. “Even as inflation cools, the high percentage of people with a side hustle shows many Americans don’t feel they can sustain their lifestyles on one income alone.”
The site did not specify the types of side hustles people are taking on, broadly defining the term as “any extra income someone earns on the side of their main source of income.” Generationally, Gen Z is the most likely to have one, with nearly half reporting that they had a side hustle. This number decreases among older generations.
Perhaps more concerning is the percentage of people who felt they would always need a side hustle to meet their financial needs. While Gen Z remains the most optimistic that they won’t always need additional income sources, older generations are far less confident.