Establishing a savings habit looks beyond many in the mass market, with 29 per cent of Australians saving nothing at all.For those that do persevere, goals such as saving for a deposit on a median priced house have become still more elusive, especially in the two major cities.A survey this month of around 2000 adults by comparison service Canstar Blue refreshes old themes over the savings culture in Australia.Canstar said 26 per cent of those surveyed were saving less than ten per cent of their after tax income.Of those who identified as prospective first-home buyers, 38 per cent said they also saved less than ten per cent of their after tax income.These trends may chime with a separate piece of research promoted by Bankwest.The average Australian couple with a dream of a first mortgage "will need to save for 4.6 years for a deposit on a median priced house, up from 4.4 years in 2016," Bankwest said in its First Time Buyer Report.This applied to couples living in 360 out of 421 local government areas, the bank said.Bankwest said its research "quantifies how long it would take a first time buyer to save a 20 per cent deposit based on local incomes, local house prices and assistance from the First Home Owners Grant, where available, by state."Whether it's disdain for saving or a difficulty in doing so, the practice of spending nearly every cent of income may echo through the generations.Canstar's survey also found that 43 per cent of baby boomers also save less than ten per cent of income.It's no surprise then that the Canstar survey also concluded that "one third of respondents are uncomfortable with their financial position."Those striving to save for their first home "required A$111,080 in savings for a deposit on their first house in 2017, based on a national median house value of $555,402," the Bankwest study said.State level data in the study shows the deposit savings goal racing away in the major cities.Couples in Sydney "will need to save for 8.2 years for the $215,133 deposit required on a median priced Sydney house, while in Melbourne they will need to save for 6.4 years for a deposit of $153,008."First time home buyers reached 14.3 per cent of all dwelling sales over the year to August 2017, the most recent ABS data shows. This is a lift from 13.4 per cent over the 2015/16 year.