A new CNBC survey finds 70% of Americans are feeling financially stressed, also, how much money are we spending on the Ukraine war?

Inflation, economic instability and a lack of savings have an increasing number of Americans feeling financially stressed. And, should we also be asking how much money we are spending on the Ukraine war?

Some 70% of Americans admit to being stressed about their personal finances these days and a majority — 52% — of U.S. adults said their financial stress has increased since before the Covid-19 pandemic began in March 2020, according to a new CNBC Your Money Financial Confidence Survey conducted in partnership with Momentive.

Anxious and uncertain about whether they can get a better handle on their money, some may be intimidated by the prospect of creating a budget or unsure of where to stash their cash to get the highest returns. Others may be wondering how to begin saving for retirement when they’ve gotten off to a late start.

Nearly 60% of respondents cited inflation as the main contributor to their financial stress, followed by economy-wide instability (43%), rising interest rates (36%) and a lack of savings (35%), according to the survey of 4,336 adults, which was conducted at the end of March.The survey found most Americans (58%) are living paycheck to paycheck. Struggling to make ends meet, many are relying on credit cards to cover any shortfalls. Meanwhile, nearly one-quarter of those surveyed said credit card debt also contributed to their financial stress.

Even those making $100,000 or more are feeling the squeeze, with the majority (57%) saying they feel financially stressed. About a third of people earning six figures said they are living paycheck to paycheck and more than a quarter said they have no emergency fund.

“There’s almost no segment of the population that is untouched by the financial pressures that we’re experiencing more broadly at this time,” McClary said.