More Americans see better economic days ahead, giving merchants an opening to win purchases that cautious households have put off.

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That’s one encouraging finding in “Keeping Up Gets Harder: Debt Confidence Falls Among Bill Payers,” the October 2026 PYMNTS Consumer Expectations Index report. Based on a survey of 2,087 U.S. consumers conducted Oct. 1–13, the report finds that economic expectations improved even as job worries increased and confidence in managing debt weakened. The overall index edged up to 54.2 from 54.1, ending two consecutive monthly declines. Consumers’ brighter outlook offers businesses some encouragement, but household budgets still set the spending limits.

Other findings help explain why improving expectations haven’t translated into an equally clear spending recovery. Among paycheck-to-paycheck consumers who could pay their bills without difficulty, confidence in managing debt fell to 61.1% from 71.2% in September. There was also some relief: across all consumers, the share saying their savings would last three months or less declined to 47.5% from 51.8%. For merchants, the opportunity lies in making purchases affordable enough for improving sentiment to support actual spending.

At PYMNTS Intelligence, we work with businesses to uncover insights that fuel intelligent, data-driven discussions on changing customer expectations, a more connected economy and the strategic shifts necessary to achieve outcomes. With rigorous research methodologies and unwavering commitment to objective quality, we offer trusted data to grow your business.

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