Americans Still Concerned About Credit Debt
Many Americans are not confident enough to go back to their previous spending habits regarding credit cards, even though the U.S. government reported that overall credit card debt is lower than it has been in six years.
Credit card debt is down 6.4 percent, and other than last December, it has fallen every month since 2009. Despite these numbers, people are still uneasy about getting back in the credit card game.
Brian Hennigan, a Chicago resident, said that he prefers using his debit card over credit.
"I’d say my credit card use has been minimal and very careful since the economy tanked," he told Medill Reports Chicago.
Many people who have had credit card debt have done what they can to get rid of it, since the recession started three years ago. Because of an increased demand in purchasing bigger items, such as cars and paying for college, consumer credit went up $9.2 billion during January, according to the news source. This may show that people are still only using credit for necessities, instead of regular, everyday purchases.