Most Americans are living with low balances in their savings accounts, and some do not have a savings account at all.

At least 60 percent of Americans have less than $1,000 in their savings account and 21 percent don't have a savings account period, Marketwatch reports.

A survey conducted by Google Consumer Survey asked more than 5,000 Americans about their savings habits and the results were alarming.

Savings accounts are useful for emergencies and future purchases, Cameron Huddleston of GoBankingRates.com says. Huddleston believes it is worrisome that most Americans have such low amounts in their accounts.

Huddleston says if an emergency situation arises, most Americans will have to rely on using credit cards, borrowing from friends and family or dipping into their retirement accounts to pay for the unexpected expense.

A similar survey conducted earlier this year by BankRate.com found that 62 percent of Americans do not have a savings account that would allow them to pay for a $1,000 emergency room visit or a $500 car repair. These survey found that if Americans faced a sudden expense they would either reduce spending elsewhere, borrow from a family member or friend or use a credit card.

Many Americans were also hurt heavily by the Great Recession, according to a survey of over 4,000 adults by the Federal Reserve last year. Some 57 percent of those adults said they had used some or all of their savings during the economic downturn.

Younger people, those in Generation X (aged 35-54 for the Google Consumer Survey) and millennials (aged 18-34) are the least likely to have any money in their savings accounts. Baby boomers and senior citizens have the most saved up in their savings accounts.

In the latest survey, just 29 percent of the respondents said they had $1,000 or more in their savings accounts.

Savings accounts with extremely low interest rates and the weak economy are two reasons that affect consumer saving habits.