July sees no change to the UK's consumer confidence

"Things are looking very bleak for the government. This is the third month in a row the Index has not changed and consumer confidence has been stuck between -29 or -31 for the last seven months. This is a clear indication that all attempts by the Government to improve the situation in the UK aren't making any impressions on the public mood."

UK Consumer Confidence Measures - July 2012

The overall index score has stayed the same this month at -29. Three of the 5 measures saw increases this month, 1 measure decreased and 1 measure stayed the same. The annual moving average stays the same at -30.

Personal financial situation

The index measuring changes in personal finances during the last 12 months has stayed the same this month at -23; this is 2 points lower than July 2011.

The forecast for personal finances over the next 12 months has increased 1 point to -8; this is 4 points higher than this time last year.

General economic situation

The measure for the general economic situation of the country during the last 12 months has decreased 1 point to -59; this is 2 points lower than July 2012.

An expectation for the general economic situation over the next 12 months has increased 1 point to -30, 3 points lower than July '11.

Climate for major purchases

The major purchases measure has increased by 2 points this month to -26; which is 5 points lower than this time last year.

Savings index

The 'now is a good time to save' Index, has decreased 4 points to -15, which is 8 points lower than July '11.

About the survey

• The UK Consumer Confidence Barometer is conducted by GfK on behalf of the EU, with similar surveys being conducted in each European country. In producing its own reports on the whole of Europe, the EU applies a seasonal adjustment to the data, to smooth out any changes that are functions at least in part of the time of year.
  
• Historically, the UK data have not been seasonally adjusted in this way, and to maintain comparability, GfK continues not to apply this adjustment. This can lead to situations where the EU figures show different movements in a particular month from those produced by GfK. Individual months may be affected, but the long term trend is not.
  
• The UK Consumer Confidence Survey from GfK was conducted amongst a sample of 2002 individuals aged 16+ on behalf of the European Commission.
  
• Quotas are imposed on age, sex, region and social class to ensure the final sample is representative of the UK population.
  
• Interviewing was carried out during 6-15 July 2012.
  
• The figures contained within the Consumer Confidence Barometer have an estimated margin of error of +/-2%
  
• Results for the Consumer Confidence Barometer are normally available on the last working day of each month at 00.01am; the release date for August 2012 is Friday 31 August 2012.

• This study has been running since 1974. Back data is available from 1996.

Research carried out by GfK on behalf of the European Commission.