The change was also evident in life decisions that weren’t solely financial in nature: 13 percent said they had delayed having children, compared with 5 percent in 2007, and 12 percent said they had postponed marriage, up from 5 percent in 2007.

Susan Bruno, a financial planner and a member of the institute’s National CPA Financial Literacy Commission, said that the young people she counsels, in particular, often say that it’s more difficult to sustain a relationship if a couple is under financial duress, so they are waiting until they have jobs that help them feel more secure about money. “They know the biggest stress on a marriage is financial,” she said.

Additionally, 19 percent put off a medical procedure, compared with 9 percent in 2007.

The primary reason given for the delays was a lack of savings, which was cited by 60 percent of Americans. That was followed by worries about the economy (50 percent) and difficulty paying monthly bills, other than the mortgage. Other reasons included a need to take care of older relatives or pay down credit card debt, and difficulty making mortgage payments, as well as concerns about job security.

But consumers in the recent survey did say they were trying to be more conscientious about their finances. More than half of respondents said they were adhering to a monthly budget (58 percent); 44 percent said they were saving more, and 35 percent said they were creating or adding to an emergency fund.

One way to quell financial worries is to figure out how to save money. Here are some questions and answers about budgeting and building savings:

■ Are there any new approaches to help consumers save?

A growing number of digital tools aim to help consumers put away cash for shorter-term savings by focusing on saving smaller amounts, said Jennifer Tescher, chief executive of the Center for Financial Services Innovation. For instance, Digit, a mobile savings service, analyzes your income and spending, and automatically transfers small amounts of cash to your Digit savings account every few days. The catch is that users have to feel comfortable connecting their checking account to the service, which says it uses bank-level security and doesn’t store your account login information.