For immediate release

Poll: People more worried about losing debt than losing weight

NEW YORK -- Jan 13, 2003 -- In the battle of the New Year's resolutions, the dollar beats the pounds. People are more interested in paring the dough they owe than the flab on their abs, according to a Roper Poll commissioned by Bankrate.com.

Asked, "Are you more focused on improving your physical fitness or your fiscal fitness?," 37 percent of respondents say they plan to concentrate on fiscal fitness this year, and 29 percent say physical fitness. About one-quarter say they're equally focused on both, and the rest say "neither" or "don't know." The poll of 1,012 randomly selected adults was conducted Jan. 3-5 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percent.

People were also quizzed about how much debt and how much weight they will try to lose in 2003. Those trying to lose weight want to lose an average of 22 pounds. Those trying to lose debt want to lose an average of $10,911.

"When we commissioned Roper to conduct this fiscal vs. physical poll of Americans, we anticipated that many people would be interested in their finances, but we did not foresee such an overwhelming response," said Bankrate, Inc. President and CEO Elisabeth DeMarse.

"I think these are very telling results. As the new year rolls around again, most people lean toward the usual suspects in resolutions -- losing weight and gaining money. While weight and physical fitness are very fashionable topics, it seems that getting our finances in shape has captured the nation. We are all concerned about the economy, our personal finances and educating ourselves on the best moves to make financially. Bankrate.com has been around since 1976 helping people do that very thing, offering timely articles, tools and resources to help consumers make educated personal finance decisions."

In addition to the 37 percent who said fiscal fitness matters most, another 26 percent said they will focus equally on physical and fiscal fitness in 2003. Thus, a total of 62 percent of Americans say they will be working on improving their finances this year, while 54 percent say they will be working on their physical well-being. Only 7 percent of adults said they will focus on improving neither their finances nor their health.

Women more likely than men to focus on physical fitness
By a narrow margin, women are more concerned about physical fitness, while men are more concerned about fiscal fitness. Thirty-nine percent of men are more focused on fiscal fitness, compared to 35 percent of women. Women are somewhat more likely than men to place priority on their physical fitness, with 32 percent naming physical fitness as their chief concern, compared to 25 percent of men.

Younger Americans are more focused on fiscal fitness, older Americans on physical fitness

Money is more on the minds of working-age Americans ages 18 to 64, while people 65 and older are more focused on their physical fitness in the New Year, according to the poll.

Which would you find harder to lose in 2003: 22 pounds or $11,000 in debt?

About half of adult Americans (52 percent) say they will be trying to decrease their debt during the New Year -- by an average of almost $11,000. The largest group of people, 44 percent, will be trying to pay off between $1 and $10,000.

Six in 10 Americans intend to battle the bulge in 2003 -- by an average of 22 pounds. The largest number of people (44 percent) are hoping to lose between 1 and 20 pounds in the next 12 months; another 22 percent would like to lose 20 to 49 pounds; and 7 percent admitted they would like to lose 50 or more pounds.

A gender gap in physical goals
Women are more likely than men to say they would like to drop weight in the New Year (71 percent vs. 53 percent, respectively). Women are also more likely than men to claim they would like to lose substantial amounts of weight. Nearly four-in-10 (37 percent) women will try to lose at least 20 pounds in 2003, compared to only 21 percent of men who share this same goal.

The average weight-loss goal for dieting hopefuls is 23 pounds among women and 19 pounds among men.

Survey methodology
The study was conducted by RoperASW via telephone among a nationally representative sample of 1,012 adults, age 18 or older. The sample was collected Jan. 3 - Jan. 5, 2003, using Random Digit Dialing methodology. The data are weighted by age, sex, education, race and geographic region.

About Bankrate, Inc.
Bankrate, Inc. (Nasdaq: RATE) owns and operates Bankrate.com, the Internet's leading consumer banking marketplace. Bankrate.com averages 4 million unique visitors per month, according to comScore Media Metrix, which ranks Bankrate.com first in unique visitors in the "Financial information and advice" category. Bankrate.com reviews more than 4,800 financial institutions in more than 180 markets in 50 states. Bankrate.com is a destination site of personal finance channels, including banking, investing, taxes and small business finance. It is the leading aggregator of more than 190 financial products, including mortgages, credit cards, new and used auto loans, money market accounts and CDs, checking and ATM fees, home equity loans and online banking fees.Bankrate.com provides financial applications and information to a network of more than 80 partners, including Yahoo! (Nasdaq: YHOO), America Online (NYSE: AOL), The Wall Street Journal (NYSE: DJ) and The New York Times (NYSE: NYT). Bankrate.com's information is also distributed through more than 100 national and state publications. The Company’s stock is included in the Russell 3000 Index and the Russell 2000 index.

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