A new survey finds that nearly half of Americans, some 49 percent, don’t have enough emergency savings to cover three months of expenses.

Bankrate.com says that appears to be worsening from a year earlier, when the number stood at 46 percent who didn’t have the cushion.

A similar Bankrate poll found in 2006 that some 61 percent failed to keep savings to cover 3 months’ expenses.  Some experts suggest that 6 months of expenses is a more appropriate goal, which is an even tougher standard to meet.

Bankrate’s senior financial analyst Greg McBride advises against focusing on low interest rates paid by bank savings accounts.  He says the worse alternative would be to pay the high interest rates charged by credit cards.