April UK consumer confidence unchanged

"We are now approaching a whole year with the Index stuck within a narrow range of -29 to -33, and it is clear that much like the economy as a whole, consumer confidence is in the doldrums. And unfortunately, there are no signs either within the survey or in the recent economic figures to suggest any immediate improvement."

UK Consumer Confidence Measures - April 2012

The overall index score has stayed the same this month at -31, the same level as April 2011. Three of the 5 measures saw increases in April 2012, with the remaining 2 measures decreasing. The annual moving average stays the same at -29.

Personal financial situation

The index measuring changes in personal finances during the last 12 months has increased this month to -23; this is the same level as April 2011. The forecast for personal finances over the next 12 months has decreased 3 points to -13; this is 1 point 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 increased 2 points this month to -57; this is the same level as April 2012.

An expectation for the general economic situation over the next 12 months has decreased by 3 points to -33, 3 points lower than April '11.

Climate for major purchases

The major purchases measure has increased by 1 point this month to -30; which is one point higher than this time last year.

Savings Index

The 'now is a good time to save' Index, has decreased 5 points to -18, which is 10 points lower than April '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 1998 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 30 March - 15 April 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 May 2012 is Thursday 31 May.
  
• This study has been running since 1974. Back data is available from 1996.

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