More and more American workers report they have little or no savings for retirement, a new study reveals. This is the third year in a row that these numbers have grown, indicating American workers attitudes about retirement reflect their feelings about the current economy.

In the last year the percentage of workers who have less than $10K in savings grew from 39% to 43%, and the number who claimed less than $1K in reserve jumped from 20% to 27%. The study was conducted by the Employee Benefit Research Institute and published in it’s annual Retirement Confidence Survey. The survey does not include the value of primary residences or defined-benefit pension plans.

The percentage of American workers with virtually no retirement savings grew for the third straight year, according to this new survey. This current decline in savings rates is credited to several factors, including the loss of jobs, suspended corporate 401(k) matches and problems with mortgages. However, the survey’s authors caution that the weakened economy is not the sole factor.

“In previous years, there were a whole lot of people who had nothing to begin with,” says one expert. What seems to be changing is American attitudes about work and retirement. The survey indicates that in the past two years, the percentage of workers who have postponed their retirement has increased from 14% to 24%.

The survey also reveals only 46% of American workers have tried to project what they will need to retire comfortably.

“People just don’t want to think about this,” one researcher said. “Everybody thinks they’re too young to think about it, until suddenly they’re too old to do anything about it.”

As a general rule, financial planners say that total retirement savings, including pensions and Social Security benefits, should total approximately 80% of pre-retirement income. To reach that goal, planners recommend a plan that includes savings of between 6% and 10% of annual income.

While the trend to delay retirement is viewed as a positive sign, expert recommend that American workers need to make a realistic projection of their future needs and capabilities.

“People have figured out that they don’t have enough money,” cautions an expert. “Still, I’d rather they bite the bullet today, rather than take the chance that they’d have a job when they are 65.”