Even as salary transparency discussions have picked up in recent years, a majority of people are hesitant to discuss money with others even though they think it would improve their lives.
Some 62% of Americans say they don't talk about money, even though 66% believe more open conversations around it are key to achieving "financial freedom," according to a new survey of 2,000 U.S. adults conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of Empower, a financial planning site.
More people would even rather post how much they make online than bring it up with co-workers.
Roughly 34% of Americans surveyed say they'd post their salary information on LinkedIn, and younger professionals are even more eager to do so — 53% of Gen Zers and 58% of millennials say they'd post how much money they make online.
That online component could have a ripple effect that gets more people discussing their pay, even if it's not on a one-to-one level, says Carol Waddell, president of Empower Personal Wealth.
"Growing up, people were discouraged from talking about money," she says. "But when you post things online, it gives you a way to do it where you're not face-to-face with someone, so it's not as personal as having an individual conversation where you're boasting about your wages. Instead, you're presenting information in a forum where people are seeking different data."
Most people avoid money discussions with colleagues even though they think it would improve their workplace
There's a big gap between people who would publicize their pay online and those who'd actually have the conversation in real life.
Just 19% of people have asked their co-workers how much they make, and 68% say they avoid uncomfortable money discussions at work entirely.
But a majority want to discuss pay in the workplace: 56% of those surveyed say they wish discussing salaries wasn't taboo and that open salary discussions would help them avoid miscommunications and motivate them to work harder.
Workers believe salary transparency would be morally and socially beneficial to the workplace, too. A majority of people believe open money discussions can help close the gender wage gap and improve workplace transparency.
Waddell says simply knowing that most people think discussing pay at work is a good thing should empower people to start doing so. "The study proves everybody has money questions, and having open conversations about it is going to be key," she says, adding that it's "just a matter of time" before discussing salaries openly at work becomes the norm.
Overall, 67% of workers say they feel comfortable asking for a raise, but those confidence levels vary widely among men and women: 74% of men feel comfortable asking for a raise compared with 59% of women, and 50% of men feel comfortable talking about salary with co-workers versus 36% of women.
Plenty of research shows women are more likely than men to be penalized for asking for a raise at work. And according to a December survey of 5,120 people from CNBC Make It and Momentive, men and women asked for raises at the same rate last year, but men were more likely to get them.
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