Abstract

financial obligations with confidence about longer-term economic security. This study examines how these related but distinct perceptions vary with individual resources, psychological characteristics, and social capital across European regions. It reinterprets evidence from 4,598 participants located in 89 regions across twelve European countries, drawing on the European Social Survey and CRONOS-2. Two indicators distinguish current money management stress, reverse-coded so that larger scores indicate less stress, from expected future financial security. Multilevel linear models separate individual departures from regional social-capital averages and between region associations, with additional specifications controlling for regional economic and demographic conditions. Income and perceived control are strongly associated with both financial outcomes. Self-assessed financial knowledge is related primarily to expectations of future security, while informal social networks are associated chiefly with reduced present stress. Individual social and institutional trust correlate positively with both dimensions. At the regional level, average interpersonal trust remains positively associated with future security after adjustment for regional gross domestic product, unemployment, and age dependency. Cross-level interaction evidence is more limited and specification-sensitive. These results suggest that the social environment matters alongside personal financial resources, although observational associations do not establish causal pathways. The distinction between immediate strain and future confidence has implications for the design and evaluation of regional financial-well-being initiatives.