The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Some young adults feel financially behind and are drawn to high-risk ways of trying to get ahead. But current surveys do not show that prediction markets alone are driving that interest—or that platforms are deliberately exploiting financial anxiety. The evidence points to a more careful conclusion: financial stress and interest in speculative products overlap, while actual prediction-market use appears narrower and the risks deserve clear-eyed scrutiny.
What the surveys say about money anxiety and risk
In Northwestern Mutual’s 2026 Planning & Progress Study, half of U.S. adults said uncertainty brings anxiety. Among Gen Z adults, 72% said financial challenges had led them to postpone at least one significant financial milestone, and 71% worried that at least one milestone might never be affordable. These are self-reported survey answers, not clinical assessments of anxiety.
The same study found that 32% of Gen Z adults were invested in or considering “sports betting / prediction markets.” That result combines two categories and includes people considering participation as well as people already participating. It is not a measure of prediction-market use alone. The comparable combined figure was 24% for Millennials and 17% across adults overall.
Among Gen Z respondents who were considering or using high-risk or speculative investments, 80% said they felt financially behind and believed those assets could help them reach goals faster than traditional methods. The figures describe an association in respondents’ answers. They do not establish that feeling behind causes market interest, that respondents made money, or that prediction markets improve financial prospects.
#1 Best Overall
Northwestern Mutual commissioned the study, which The Harris Poll conducted online among 4,375 U.S. adults aged 18 or older from January 5–21, 2026. Results were weighted by age, gender, race and ethnicity, region, education, and household income. Read the study’s release and methodology.
How many young people actually use prediction markets?
A separate Ipsos poll commissioned by the American Institute for Boys and Men asked specifically about prediction-market use. Eight percent of men aged 18–24 said they had used a prediction market in the preceding six months. That is a minority, and it is a result for young men in one age band—not an estimate for all young adults.
Rank #2
- Ideal for Gifting
- Ideal for a bookworm
- Compact for travelling
The poll also illustrates how people classify event contracts: 47% of men aged 18–24 viewed them as closer to gambling, compared with 10% who saw them as closer to investing. The probability-panel survey included 2,363 adults overall and an oversample of 447 men aged 18–24; fieldwork ran February 27–March 1, 2026. See the Ipsos/AIBM survey details.
What a prediction market contract is—and what it is not
A prediction market offers event contracts tied to an outcome defined by the market’s rules. A contract’s price can reflect what participants collectively expect, but it is not a guarantee that the outcome will occur or that a buyer has found a reliable way to earn money. The rules determine what counts as the outcome and how a contract is settled.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteThat forecasting function helps explain why prediction markets can be discussed as both financial products and gambling-like activity. Federal Reserve staff research examines Kalshi prices as a real-time measure of macroeconomic expectations. The Fed describes Kalshi as the largest federally regulated prediction market overseen by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The paper is preliminary and represents its authors’ views, rather than an official Federal Reserve position. Read the Federal Reserve staff paper.
Using prices as a forecasting signal is different from saying a contract is a suitable investment for someone who needs money for near-term bills, debt payments, or savings goals. A market can be informative and still expose an individual trader to loss.
Rank #4
Can prediction markets help you make money?
They can produce a payout when a position settles in the trader’s favor, but that possibility does not make them a dependable route to financial goals. The outcome is uncertain, contract rules matter, and a losing position can cost money. The survey findings above do not track profits or losses among young participants, so they cannot show whether users who feel behind are actually improving their finances.
Before putting money into an event contract, check the platform’s contract terms, settlement criteria, fees, and applicable rules in your location. Decide in advance what amount you can afford to lose without affecting essentials or longer-term plans. Do not treat a market-implied probability as a promise, or use borrowed money or money earmarked for necessities to pursue a speculative position.
Best Value
- It can be a gift option
- Comes with secure packaging
- Helpful in various ways
Why “cashing in on anxiety” needs qualification
The phrase captures a real concern: products framed as a chance to get ahead may appeal to people who feel they are falling behind. But the available survey evidence establishes neither a direct causal path from money anxiety to prediction-market participation nor an intent by platforms to target that anxiety. Northwestern Mutual’s combined measure includes sports betting and people merely considering either category; the separate use estimate covers only men aged 18–24.
Market-volume headlines need similar care. Pew’s analysis of Kalshi, Polymarket International, and Polymarket US through July 2026 uses notional taker volume, valuing contracts at their $1 notional or payout value (or the value associated with the correct outcome), rather than the price traders paid at the time. That measure is not equivalent to user spending, user losses, net deposits, or platform revenue. Pew explains its volume measure and limits.
What safeguards to look for
Deposit limits, cooling-off periods, and access to help resources are examples of consumer-protection measures in the public discussion. A May 12–14, 2026 NCPG/Harris survey asked U.S. adults about prediction-market platforms and such protections. That survey establishes their relevance to the debate; it does not establish that every platform offers them or that protections are the same across jurisdictions. Check the specific service and the rules that apply where you live. See NCPG/Harris survey materials.
Younger people’s broader exposure to gambling is also worth distinguishing from prediction-market participation. In the U.K. Gambling Commission’s 2025 survey of 3,666 pupils aged 11–17 in England, Scotland, and Wales, 30% said they had spent their own money on some form of gambling in the prior 12 months. The rate was 23% for regulated forms when arcade machines were included, and 6% when arcade machines were excluded. The Commission’s youth-adapted screen classified 1.2% as experiencing problem gambling and 2.2% as at risk. These are U.K. youth gambling figures, not U.S. adult prediction-market-use rates and not measures of prediction markets specifically. Read the Gambling Commission’s survey.
If gambling or trading is causing financial or personal harm, consider pausing deposits and seeking independent support. A platform’s availability of a particular tool should not be assumed; use the support and consumer-protection resources applicable in your location.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
