Just 17 percent of Americans say they are better off financially than they were last year at this time, according to a new Bankrate.com survey.

Greg McBride, senior financial analyst for Bankrate.com, cited the weak economy, sluggish housing sector and a volatile stock market in the results: “Americans’ feelings about their savings, debt and net worth continue to erode,” he said in a statement.

Bankrate.com’s Financial Security Index fell in October to 92.8 from 93.9 and is now at its second-lowest level of the year. (Any reading below 100 indicates feelings of less financial security relative to 12 months ago.)

The study was conducted in October by Princeton Survey Research Associates International, using landline and cellphone interviews with a nationally representative sample of 1,000 adults. The margin of sampling error is 4 percentage points. The full survey can be viewed here.

In other findings, just 11 percent of Americans are more comfortable with their savings now compared with one year ago, and only 20 percent of Americans are more comfortable with their debt now, a figure that has dropped every month since June.

Nineteen percent of Americans report higher net worth than one year ago, while 30 percent report lower net worth.

The survey found that older Americans have been hit hard by the economic turmoil. Thirty one percent of Americans from ages 50 to 64 feel less secure in their jobs, and 56 percent of those from ages 50 to 64 feel less comfortable with their savings, while only 5 percent are more comfortable.

One bright spot (for waiters, at least): 70 percent said their tipping habits haven’t changed due to the economy.

Do you feel your financial situation is better or worse than it was a year ago?

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