How the quiz was built
The study.
The quiz comes from a 2026 study of 943 U.S. adults aged 18 to 44, fielded in September 2026 in two rounds through an online panel, and it sits on six years of NextGen research with more than 10,000 millennials and Gen Z. The study measured how people feel about money, whether they lean into it or away from it, how heavily money weighs on them, how confident they are, how far ahead they think, and how they want to be helped.
The four things the quiz measures.
Twenty-four statements, eighteen from the study and six written to validated scales, sorted into four underlying dimensions. Two of them make the warm-up: anxious or calm, and engaged or avoidant. Two more, from the second round of the study, make the working set: shame, and confidence. Each is scored from your answers to its statements, and you're placed on one side or the other of each. Four things, two sides each, sixteen combinations, sixteen builds.
What the quiz can't do.
It's research-informed and being refined through ongoing research: a snapshot, not a diagnosis, and not financial advice.
Who did the research.
NextGen Research, led by Kristin Messerli, with the 2026 study sponsored by National MI. The full methods and limitations are in the study report, How You're Built to Buy, published on nextgenhomebuyer.com.
Six statements are new.
Eighteen of the twenty-four statements come straight from the study. Six were written for the quiz, each modeled on a published scale for money anxiety, avoidance or shame, so the shorter measures hold steadier. One more statement, about whether money often feels short, is stored and never scored. It sits alongside the other answers so the research can see when worry runs high while money feels adequate, and when it runs alongside real strain. The quiz also asks the Federal Reserve's question about covering an unexpected $400 expense. It is asked of everyone, stored and never scored, so the research can tell strain from feeling, and “Rather not say” is one of the answers. Every response also keeps a study-style score for comparison. Once 500 people have finished the working set, we review how well every statement holds up and revise it in the open.
