PNC survey: 20-somethings feeling stymied by sluggish economic recovery

A new study out from PNC Bank suggests adults in their 20s are feeling less financially independent than they did two years ago. The national study of more than 3,000 people ages 20-29 found that millennials with at least some college education who describe themselves as "totally independent" dropped 26 percent this year compared with research from 2011.

More than half felt they were behind where they expected to be financially at this point in their lives. "It has been a very slow (economic) recovery ... painfully slow for this age group," said Mekael Teshome, an economist with PNC who worked on the study. They tend to have fewer skills and so it's harder for them to compete in the rough economy.

Even so, they remain an optimistic group. Sixty percent of those who didn't identify themselves as "totally independent" said they were determined to get there soon. One telling point: those with a college degree tended not only to be more optimistic psychologically, but were generally more likely to be financially independent. "Higher education matters," Teshome said.