Malaysians across Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X and Baby Boomers cited cost of living as their main worry for the future (43% overall), placing it ahead of housing affordability, healthcare costs and job security.
The government’s Pre-Budget Statement released in August, has already flagged cost-of-living relief and raising household incomes as key priorities. These focus areas align with ongoing reform frameworks, which already encompass measures like targeted fuel subsidies and
healthcare digitalisation, including targeted fuel subsidies and healthcare digitalisation, ahead of the October budget tabling.
The survey shows that older Malaysians report higher rates of regret regarding delayed investing. 64% of Gen X and Baby Boomers wished they had started investing earlier, compared to 60% of Gen Z and 58% of Millennials. It isn’t the youngest generation who feels behind, but the one furthest into their career.
Survey results show that concern for the future increases with age. While 45.1% of Gen Z believe the next generation will face a harder economic environment, that figure rises to 51.0% among Millennials and 61.1% for Gen X and older.
When asked for the most important financial habit to pass down, 68% of respondents selected investing early with small amounts, ahead of saving a set percentage of income or staying out of debt.
When it comes to the future, 27% of respondents across all age groups selected a lower cost of living as the top advantage to guarantee for future generations, prioritizing basic affordability over higher starting salaries or pension changes.
“The data shows that Malaysians across age groups share very similar views on money,” said Teoh Wei Xiang, CEO and Co-Founder of Versa. “Cost of living is the main concern right now across households. The desire to learn investing earlier is common across all demographics,
showing a broad shift toward building long-term financial habits to manage inflation.”
This survey polled 1,333 respondents in Malaysia via the Versa app, covering generational identity, financial outlook, and attitudes toward money across Gen Z (born 1997–2012, n=488), Millennials/Gen Y (born 1981–1996, n=516), Gen X (born 1965–1980, n=306), and Baby
Boomers (born 1946–1964, n=23). Given the small sample size for Baby Boomer respondents, figures for that group are reported alongside Gen X as a combined “Gen X and above” cohort (n=329) where relevant. Figures are self-reported and percentages are rounded; some
questions allowed multiple responses, so those percentages do not sum to 100%.
Findings are based solely on surveyed Versa users and may not represent the views of the general Malaysian public.
