Growing awareness of the fact that individual economic security largely depends on the way of managing available resources of households and, consequently, a launch of mechanisms that would encourage households to adopt precautionary behaviours are the key issues of the social security system reform in Poland. The article presents results of two surveys aimed at analysing the areas of subjectively perceived economic security among Polish households, as well as patterns of behaviour aimed at saving. The former was carried out towards the end of 1998, immediately prior to implementation of the social security system reform, while the latter took place towards the end of 2001, i.e. two years after its implementation. A comparison of results of both surveys in the context of the country’s changing economic situation suggests that while income is the main generator of households’ resources, maintaining these resources during cyclical downswing depends on the social profile of a household, being largely determined by the level of education. Subjectivity in assessment of one’s own income capacities may affect the savings ratio, as assumed by economic psychology statements.