An interesting Gallup Poll shows how differently wealthy and poor Americans think.
Gallup Poll asked Americans in April to choose the best “long-term investment” and real estate was the most common pick, followed by gold, stocks and mutual funds. The Gallup Poll, conducted April 3 through 6, asked 1,026 adults to choose what would make the best long-term investment out of five categories.
A total of 30 percent chose real estate, 24 percent chose gold, 24 percent chose stocks/mutual funds, 14 percent chose savings accounts/certificates of deposit (CDs) and 6 percent chose bonds, the poll found.
But when Gallup probed deeper, some fascinating differences emerged along income lines.
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Lower-income Americans — those living in households earning less than $30,000 in annual income — preferred gold to stocks, savings accounts and bonds, according to Gallup. Thirty-one percent of lower-income Americans favored gold. At 18 percent, upper-income Americans are the least likely to name gold as the best long-term investment.
Upper-income Americans
“Upper-income Americans are much more likely to say real estate and stocks are the best investment, possibly because of their experience with these types of investments,” writes Gallup’s Rebecca Riffkin. “Upper-income Americans are most likely to say they own their home, at 87 percent, followed by middle (66 percent) and lower-income Americans (36 percent). Gallup found that homeowners (33 percent) are slightly more likely than renters (24 percent) to say real estate is the best choice for long-term investments.”
Young Americans Trust Savings Accounts and CDs
Americas between 18 and 29 years old are almost evenly split; with about one-quarter each saying real estate (and foreclosures according to RealtyTrac the foreclosure data firm), stocks, gold and savings accounts are the best choices for long-term investment.
