(MONEY Magazine) – Cautious optimism prevails among MONEY readers who answered the question posed by our May poll: "How are you doing financially?" Sure, you are concerned about widespread layoffs, the shaky economy and President Clinton's plans for higher taxes. But a solid 47% of the more than 4,000 of you who responded to the poll expect your finances to improve in the near future, as opposed to only 19% who don't. And 61% of you plan to increase your investing. It has been a tough year for some readers. A startling 27% report that they or someone in their family has been laid off in the past 12 months. Happily, more than half of those have found new jobs at the same or better salaries, but that still leaves a lot of concerned people. "We are scared stiff," writes Pat Schott, 47, of Chesterfield, Mo. "The corporate world has changed for the worse; there is no loyalty from companies anymore." The bad times for some were good times for others, though. Chris Borden, 31, of Sudbury, Mass. says he was able to take advantage of the economic slowdown. "I found the past year to be a great time to be a consumer," he reports. "Cars, houses, appliances and home improvements all seemed to be on sale." And while 41% of poll respondents plan to pay down debt over the next six months, a greater number -- more than half -- intend to spend at least some of whatever extra money they get on vacations. The poll results, enumerated in detail below, were taken from a valid sampling of the total response. Not all participants answered every question, so total percentages do not always equal 100.

SPENDING Surprisingly, nearly as many respondents spent more money during the past year as cut their spending. While 44% cut back (19% a little, 25% a lot), 41% increased their spending, 21% of them "a little more" and 20% "a lot more." Looking ahead, 55% say that they don't plan to increase their spending in the next six months, 27% say that they do, and 18% say they are not sure. All of the respondents will spend on one thing or another, of course. Asked where that money will go, 55% say for vacations, 32% say for entertainment such as theater, movies and concerts, and 16% say for eating out more often. Other choices were more practical: paying down debt (41%), clothes (38%), medical care or dental work (37%), home improvements (35%), furniture (19%), household help (17%), appliances (16%), automobiles (14%) and a new home (13%). Additionally, 31% will make charitable contributions.

SAVINGS You say you are going to be more thrifty this year than last. Over the past year, 33% of all poll respondents saved more than usual, 33% saved about the same, and 31% saved less than usual. A full 55% say they will save more in the next six months, 29% say they won't, and 16% say they don't know. What are those additional savings targeted for? Nearly half (49%) are saving the money for retirement, 22% for vacations and 14% for their children's education. Other goals: new car (12%), new home (9%), medical care or dental work (8%), furniture (7%) and appliances (4%).

INVESTING A solid 61% say they plan to invest more in the next six months. Of those, 56% will put the money in mutual funds and 25% will invest in individual stocks. There was much less interest in bonds (8%), annuities or insurance (7%) and real estate (7%). A minuscule 2% say they will buy certificates of deposit. Only 20% of all poll respondents say they don't expect to invest more in the next six months, and 18% say they are not sure whether they will or will not.

PAYING BILLS We asked whether you would have a problem coming up with the money to pay an unexpected $1,000 bill. More than half (55%) say it would be no problem at all, and 26% say it wouldn't be a very big problem; 13% say it would be a fairly big problem, and 4% a very big problem. How does that compare with a year ago? It's a wash. For 30%, it would be easier to come up with the money today; for 24% it would be more difficult; 45% say their ability to pay is the same as a year ago.

FUTURE OUTLOOK It's generally upbeat: 47% say they expect their finances to improve in the next 12 months, and only 19% anticipate their getting worse. But 29% say they don't know, a number of them expressing views similar to Robin Neil Haberle, 34, of Media, Pa., who comments that "Clinton's tax and health-care plans are still wild cards."