The National Consumer Agency (NCA) reports that one in three people said not having enough money to meet everyday expenses was their number one financial concern for 2012.
One-fifth of those surveyed in the research are worried that they may not be able to meet unexpected expenses.
Ann Fitzgerald, chief executive of the NCA, said: “These findings highlight the very real concerns that some consumers have about their finances.
“If you find managing your personal finances daunting and find it difficult to know where to start, we have an online four-step guide available at www.nca.ie.”
Elsewhere, another survey found Irish people are planning to cut back spending on clothes more than anything else in the coming year, new research shows.
Mobile phones, holidays, groceries and then electricity are the next most popular targets for savings, the research by building society EBS reveals.
The study also suggests almost half of Irish people have no plans to draw up a household budget to help them save and pay their bills.
The research, which involved 1,000 people, showed 18 per cent of those polled will do a very thorough review of the finances for the year ahead, 36 per cent will make a general savings plan and 45 per cent have no plans to develop a household budget for 2012.
Of those planning to prepare a budget, more than half said it was something they have only started to do since the downturn.
The report also found: 29 per cent of those polled were saving for something specific this year, with women more likely to know what they are saving for (33 per cent) than men (25 per cent).
PA