The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we live and spend. And a new survey found that, for some, that means carrying a bigger credit card balance.

A September 2021 online survey of 2,400 U.S. adults by Bankrate found 42% of consumers with credit card debt have added to the amount they owe since the pandemic began in March 2020.

This group was split on whether the pandemic was to blame for their financial issues. Out of the consumers who saw their debt increase, 47% said the pandemic caused them to get deeper in debt and 53% cited other reasons for their growing debt load.

Of all the generations represented in the survey, Millennials were most likely to say that the virus was the reason their debt surged.

The survey highlights the fact that the big picture data of credit card debt falling during the pandemic leaves out an important part of the story, says Ted Rossman, senior industry analyst at Bankrate.

"Broadly, Americans have saved more and paid down debt over the past 18 months, but those improvements have not been distributed evenly," Rossman says. "Sadly, a substantial percentage of Americans are faring much worse financially, and that sometimes gets lost in the macro trends."

Who carries credit card debt and for how long?

More than half of U.S. adults (54%) carry a balance on a card or cards, the poll found, and it can take years for debtors to get their balances to zero.

Among those who carry a balance, 50% have carried it a year or longer and 32% two years or longer.

Carrying credit card debt is common among U.S. cardholders of all income levels, but those in the middle income bracket are most likely to revolve a balance on their cards.

Of all cardholders across all generations who already had credit card debt before the pandemic was declared in March 2020, the survey found 42% saw their debt grow during the pandemic.

Millennials and Gen Xers who added to their debt during the past 18 months were more likely than other generations to cite the pandemic as the main reason for their additional debt load.

Many older millennials (ages 32 to 40) were just starting out in their working lives when the Great Recession hit in 2008, points out Tonya Rapley, financial expert and founder of My Fab Finance. "They're a generation that has experienced two major financial events in their lifetime," she says.

Johnson writes for Bankrate.com.