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Operation HOPE’s Latest HOPE Insider Survey Reveals Persistent Economic Anxiety Among Americans —Yet Growing Confidence in Personal Financial Empowerment

via Business Wire

Financial Literacy Nonprofit’s Q2 National Impact Report Underscores HOPE’s Tangible Client Outcomes

Operation HOPE, Inc., the nation’s leading nonprofit committed to financial dignity and economic inclusion, today released findings from its latest HOPE Insider report, an ongoing nationwide survey capturing the financial realities and attitudes of Americans, particularly those from underserved communities. The second quarter 2025 results paint a picture of a financially anxious yet determined public, highlighting both deep concern over macroeconomic trends and a growing commitment to personal financial resilience.

With responses from more than 2,000 Operation HOPE clients, the HOPE Insider provides a rare, frontline lens into the lived experiences of working Americans grappling with inflation, housing costs, and income stagnation, while also tracking how financial coaching is influencing behavior change and mindset transformation.

Key National Sentiment Findings:

  • 72% of respondents lack confidence in the stability of the U.S. economy in 2025
  • 83% report their income is not keeping pace with the rising cost of living
  • 84% say they’ve experienced financial anxiety within the past 90 days
  • 86% are concerned about the rising cost of housing in their communities

Despite these realities, the survey reveals an inspiring level of personal agency:

  • 80% of respondents remain hopeful that their financial well-being will improve within the next year
  • 82% believe their career trajectory will rise despite current headwinds

“The story here is one of duality,” said John Hope Bryant, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Operation HOPE. “Americans are stressed by economic uncertainty, but they’re not giving up. They’re leaning in. They’re planning, budgeting, and striving. That’s where HOPE steps in, turning belief into financial action, and crisis into opportunity.”

The HOPE Insider survey complements data from Operation HOPE’s Q2 2025 National Impact Report, which tracks financial resilience and behavior change among clients across the country.

In the second quarter alone, Operation HOPE served over 27,000 individuals across 291 active HOPE Inside locations, engaging in more than 100,000 financial empowerment activities. These efforts led to tangible results: 64% of HOPE clients improved their credit score, with an average increase of 39 points, and 40% reached a prime credit rating of 660 or higher. Across a sample of more than 48,000 clients, the average score improvement was +16 points. In total, 78% of clients either improved or maintained their credit scores.

According to the report:

  • Financial Behavior Change: clients took new financial actions, such as increased financial budgeting and planning tools, increasing emergency savings, and opening new accounts, demonstrating a clear shift toward long-term financial resilience.
  • Stress Reduction & Confidence Building: clients reported a measurable reduction in financial stress. Many also cited greater confidences managing their finances and reduced financial worry.

These insights underscore Operation HOPE’s role in creating meaningful, measurable outcomes for individuals across the country, helping them move from financial crisis to financial control and ultimately to financial confidence.

This underscores the transformative power of Operation HOPE’s no-cost financial coaching model, now deployed across a nationwide footprint of nearly 300 cities and 1,500 locations through partnerships with banks, municipalities, employers, and community organizations. In fact, Operation HOPE’s financial coaching has cumulatively helped increase credit scores of all clients by more than 1.25 million points over the past decade and facilitated a net increase of over $117 million in client savings and reduced debt. Data show that every additional coaching session leads to an average credit score increase of four points.

Through strategic partnerships like the Closing Cost Assistance Program with Fulton Bank, HOPE has also helped fund more than $24.5 million in mortgage loans so far this year alone, and more than $1.2 billion in mortgage loans to date, creating pathways to homeownership for nearly 7,000 families.

Similarly, through the 1 Million Black Businesses (1MBB) initiative, HOPE has engaged over 466,000 entrepreneurs, delivering more than 528,000 small business services in partnership with Shopify and 85 coalition partners.

A survey respondent shared: “My goal is not just to survive, but to thrive. That means refining my budget, identifying new income streams, investing in personal growth, and making smart financial choices for the long haul.”

As economic pressures continue to mount across the country, from student loan repayment stress to AI-driven job displacement, Operation HOPE remains at the forefront of empowering people with the tools, trust, and training they need to navigate uncertainty and unlock new possibilities.

“Our mission has never been more relevant,” added Bryant. “We are building an economy for all, not just the fortunate few. And we’re doing it one person, one plan, one paycheck at a time.”

ABOUT OPERATION HOPE, INC.

Since 1992, Operation HOPE has empowered more than 4 million individuals with financial literacy, credit and money management coaching, home ownership, and small business support—advancing “silver rights” to help low- and moderate-income Americans achieve economic dignity. Through its award-winning HOPE Inside model, the organization has helped generate over $4.2 billion in economic activity. We operate in nearly 300 cities serving 1500 locations throughout the United States. Learn more at OperationHOPE.org.

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