Financial Management & Digital Tools Survey

PARTICIPANT NOTICE Money Matters Research is conducting independent research on behalf of an Australian business that develops apps in the financial sector. We are exploring how young Australians manage their money, what they look for in digital financial tools, and their attitudes towards A.I. in personal finance. You do not need to provide any financial information in this survey. There are no right or wrong answers. Please respond based on your genuine experience and opinions, your candid feedback is exactly what we are looking for. All responses are anonymous and will be reported in aggregate only. This research is conducted in accordance with the Australian Privacy Act 1988.

About You

Press Enter

Your age group(Required)

Under 18

18–25

26–35

36–45

46–55

56 +

Prefer not to say

Press Enter

What is your current employment status? (Select all that apply)(Required)

Full-time employed

Part-time employed

Casual / gig worker

Self-employed / freelance

Full-time student

Student and working

Not currently employed

Prefer not to say

Press Enter

Which of the following best describes your living situation?(Required)

Living with parents / family (rent free)

Living with parents / family (paying board)

Renting alone

Renting with flatmates / housemates

Renting with a partner

Own / purchasing a home

Prefer not to say

Press Enter

Current money management habits

Press Enter

How would you describe your current approach to managing your money?(Required)

I have a clear system and follow it consistently

I have some structure but it is not consistent

I manage things as they come up, without a formal system

I find it difficult and generally avoid thinking about it

I do not feel I need to actively manage my money right now

Press Enter

Which tools or methods do you currently use to manage your money? (Select all that apply)(Required)

My bank's own app

A dedicated budgeting or money management app

Spreadsheets (e.g. Excel, Google Sheets)

Pen and paper / physical notebook

I mentally track spending without writing it down

I do not actively track my spending

Other (please specify)

Press Enter

Other method you use to manage your money:(Required)

Press Enter

What, if anything, feels like the biggest challenge in managing your money day to day?(Required)

Open response — please be as specific as you like

Press Enter

Attitudes towards money management apps

Press Enter

Have you ever used a dedicated money management or budgeting app (separate from your regular bank app)?

Yes, I currently use one

Yes, but I stopped using it

No, but I have considered it

No, and I have not considered it

Press Enter

Please share the app you are using or have used:(Required)

Press Enter

When it comes to financial guidance from an AI, how do you feel about the following statements?(Required)

	Not Important	Somewhat Important	Important	Very Important	Essential
Spending categories & tracking
Bill reminders & due date alerts
Budget setting & monitoring
Personalised tips & insights
Automate money allocation rules
Financial education content
Social / shared goals with a friend/partner

Please select the best match

Press Enter

How much would you expect to pay per month for a money management app that genuinely helped you reach your financial goals?(Required)

I would only use a free app

Up to $5 per month

$5–$10 per month

$10–$20 per month

More than $20 per month, if the value was there

It would depend on what was included

Press Enter

App design & experience preferences

Press Enter

If you were using a financial app, which of the following best describes how you prefer it to feel?(Required)

Serious and professional — I want it to feel like a credible financial tool

Clean and minimal — uncluttered, no distractions

Friendly and approachable — warm design, encouraging language

Engaging and fun — I want to actually enjoy using it

I do not have a strong preference as long as it works well

Press Enter

How important is the visual design quality of an app when deciding whether to keep using it?(Required)

1	2	3	4	5	6	7

1 = Not at all important 7 = Extremely important

Press Enter

Artificial intelligence (AI) in personal finance

Press Enter

How would you feel about an AI assistant built into a money management app that could observe your spending patterns and proactively offer suggestions?(Required)

Very positive — this is exactly the kind of help I would want

Somewhat positive — it could be useful if done well

Neutral — it would not particularly influence my decision to use the app

Somewhat negative — I would prefer to manage things myself

Very negative — I would not want an AI doing this with my financial data

Press Enter

Which of the following would you want an AI assistant in a financial app to be able to do? (Select all that apply)(Required)

Answer plain-language questions about my finances (e.g. "How much did I spend on food last month?")

Suggest ways I could save more based on my spending patterns

Alert me when I am heading towards overspending in a category

Help me build a personalised savings or budget plan

Explain financial concepts in simple terms

Remind me about upcoming bills or scheduled payments

Celebrate milestones with me (e.g. reaching a savings goal)

Recommend financial products (e.g. high-interest savings accounts)

I would not want an AI assistant in a financial app

Press Enter

When considering a money management app, how important are each of the following features to you?(Required)

	Not Important	Somewhat Important	Important	Very Important	Essential
"I would trust AI suggestions about my spending more than my own instincts"
"I would want to know when I am talking to AI vs a real person"
"I would be comfortable with an AI having access to all my transactions"
"I would find it useful to ask my app questions in natural language"
"AI in a financial app makes me feel supported, not judged"
"I would want to be able to turn the AI features off if I chose to"

Please select the best match

Press Enter

Automation & money movement

Press Enter

Imagine a system that automatically split your pay into different accounts or spending categories the moment it arrived — for example, automatically moving a set percentage to savings, bills, and spending money without you having to do anything. How would you feel about this?

Very appealing — this is exactly how I would want to manage my money

Appealing — I like the idea but would want full control over the rules

Neutral — I can see the benefit but it is not something I would personally need

Somewhat uncomfortable — I would want to manually approve each movement

Not appealing — I prefer to decide what happens to my money myself

Press Enter

If you were using a system like the one described above, how important would each of the following be to you?(Required)

	Not Important	Somewhat Important	Important	Very Important	Essential
Being able to pause or override automation at any time
Receiving a notification when money is moved
Being able to easily change the rules at any time
Rules being percentage-based (not fixed dollar amounts)
A clear visual showing me where my money went
The system working across accounts at different banks

Please select the best match

Press Enter

What, if anything, would make you hesitant to let an app automatically move money between your accounts? (Select all that apply)(Required)

Security — I am not comfortable with an app having that level of access

Trust — I would need to know the app was well-established and regulated

Control — I would worry about money moving at the wrong time

Errors — I would be concerned about mistakes being hard to reverse

Complexity — I would not be confident setting up the rules correctly

Nothing — I would be comfortable with it if the app was trustworthy

Other (please specify)

Press Enter

Other item that would make you hesitant:(Required)

Press Enter

Open banking & data sharing

Press Enter

Knowing that "open banking" gives an app read-only access to your transactions — and never your login credentials — how comfortable would you be connecting your bank accounts to a money management app?(Required)

Very comfortable — I understand how it works and I am happy to do it

Fairly comfortable — I would want to read about the security measures first

Somewhat uncomfortable — I would need a lot of reassurance

Not comfortable — I would not connect my accounts regardless

Press Enter

What would most increase your confidence in connecting your bank to a third-party app? (Select any that apply)(Required)

Australian government regulation and accreditation

Clear explanation of exactly what data is accessed

The ability to disconnect at any time

Positive reviews and a trusted brand reputation

Bank-grade encryption explained clearly

A visible privacy policy written in plain English

Recommendation from a friend or family member

Nothing would make me comfortable with this

Select any that apply

Press Enter

Final reflections

Press Enter

What would a money management app need to do or offer to make it something you genuinely looked forward to opening?(Required)

Open response — no right or wrong answer

Press Enter

Is there anything about existing money management apps that frustrates you, or a gap you feel has not been filled?(Required)

Press Enter

Overall, how likely would you be to try a new money management app if it was recommended to you by a friend?(Required)

0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10

0 = Definitely would not 10 = Definitely would

Press Enter

Would you like to be included in our draw for one of 6 x $50 gift cards for survey participants?(Required)

Yes

Press Enter

Please provide your Name, Email Address & Phone number for the draw(Required)

Name Email Phone

Press Enter

Would you like to stay informed or be involved further? (Select all that apply)(Required)

Yes, I am open to being contacted for a short follow-up conversation (approx. 10 minutes)

Yes, I would like to hear about the product when it becomes available

No thank you — I prefer to remain anonymous

Press Enter

Please share your email address:(Required)

Press Enter