Consumers Express Anxiety Over Mortgage Issues

Americans are increasingly concerned about their ability to meet their mortgage and rent payments, according to a new study.

A poll conducted by The Washington Post shows 53 percent of respondents reported being "very concerned" or "somewhat concerned" about whether they will be able to pay their mortgage or rent. When asked the same question in 2008, only 37 percent gave the same response. The results also showed these concerns are more prevalent in low-income and African American families.

The foreclosure crisis and rising debt levels have both been attributed to Americans' growing fears, but the high unemployment rate has taken the brunt of the blame.

"The unemployment rate is still very, very high, so if you think of it as being about the odds of someone losing their job and not being able to find another, there's good reason to be concerned about being able to make mortgage payments," Brookings Institute's Karen Dynan told the Post.

Government debt relief programs, such as Home Affordable Modification Program and hardest-hit fund initiative, have been beneficial to a large number of Americans, but a large majority are still skeptical about the prospects of economic recovery.