Inflation continues to be the top concern for households, new data from Bank of Ireland shows.
The Savings and Investment Index reveals that 30% of households said it was their biggest worry, down slightly from a high of 33% in February.
The data shows that climate change is the fastest growing concern, with almost a quarter of households now citing it as their number one worry - almost double the level seen in in the final quarter of last year.
Concern over the cost of housing and rent at remains high at 15%, especially amongst those in their 30's, but this has dropped from a high of 19% in the second quarter of this year.
8% of consumers said a global recession is their top concern, while 5% said the effects of artificial intelligence are their top worry, a new element being tracked this quarter.
"The surprise this quarter was how many households now consider climate change as the single biggest concern - with almost one in four citing this as their biggest concern - perhaps driven by the extreme weather during the summer," said Kevin Quinn, Chief Investment Strategist at Bank of Ireland.
"This trend is also reflected in the approach many households are now adopting with their investment plans, as interest in environmentally aware investing grows," he added.
Today's data shows that attitude to savings has continued to weaken in the third quarter of the year, as inflation remained so prominent amongst consumers concerns.
The overall savings environment index dropped to a new low of 65, from 69 in the second quarter of this year.
Meanwhile, attitudes to investing, which had been relatively stable in recent quarters, also saw a drop in the third quarter with the investment index dropping to 69 from 74 in the previous quarter.
"The first half of the year saw surprisingly strong gains for investors in the stock market - largely driven by the gains made by the largest technology firms who were seen to be the big winners from the emergent boom in artificial intelligence," said Mr Quinn.
"In contrast, the second half of the year has been more challenging, and this has perhaps been behind a drop in investor confidence in our survey," he added.
