When they say American's savings are up, what exactly are they counting?

The reason I ask is because I found a few years ago that when they count average credit card debt in America they include peole who pay off their credit cards in full every month. If you asked me directly if I have credit card I would answer “no” even if there were $4,000 worth of Visa bills about to come due.

So, when they say “savings,” are they only counting savings accounts in banks? Or, any money that is liquid with no penalities? Do they include CD’s and stocks you might hold? Are 401K’s excluded?