[keeda]

This seems to be the report and the specific section of interest: https://www.bankrate.com/banking/savings/emergency-savings-r...

You're right that the question they used is a bit vague, but there is a ton of other data in there that points to affordability as the main cause e.g.

"Nearly a quarter of Americans have no emergency savings"

and:

"Sixty percent of Americans are uncomfortable with their level of emergency savings — 31 percent are very uncomfortable, and 29 percent are somewhat uncomfortable."

[seanmcdirmid]

It is the social sciences, they can find data for any viewpoint they want to push.