Ipsos Economic Pulse Reveals that Malaysians are Upbeat about 2014 Economic outlook
The quarterly Economic Pulse survey by Ipsos shows that although Malaysians feel it will be a tough year ahead for them, they still have confidence in the Malaysian economy.
Malaysia – A new Ipsos poll that measures the economic pulse of Malaysia indicates that Malaysians are more positive about the economic outlook for 2014 (58%) compared to last year (47%). However, Malaysians also feel that compared to last year (65%), they would have greater difficulty in making ends meet this year (70%). The Ipsos economic pulse survey polls Malaysians from all ethnic groups and demographics, both in urban, rural and market centres, to gauge the overall sentiment of the country.
Katharine Davis, Executive Director for Ipsos Malaysia comments, “The announcement of the upcoming GST has increased anxiety this year about making ends meet, as there is a perception that prices will begin to go up from this year onwards. This is especially a cause for concern those in the lower income groups.”
Malaysians living in rural areas (65% in 2014, compared to 53% in 2013) are the most concerned about their personal financial situation in 2014, followed closely by those living in market centres (52% as compared to last year’s 39%).
However, despite these concerns, most Malaysians feel upbeat about the 2014 economic outlook for the country. Compared to last year there has been a positive increase across all demographic groups. For instance, among the different ethnicities, 15% more Chinese Malaysians are optimistic about the country’s economy compared to last year and 12% more Malays feel the same.
“When it comes to the 2014 economic outlook for Malaysia, there is a greater sense of confidence among Malaysians this year than there was in 2013. These findings are corroborated by wider economic data that showed a strong performance in the first quarter of this year, particularly in the construction, manufacturing and services sectors.” Said Katharine Davis, Executive Director for Ipsos Malaysia.
Some of the other highlights of this study are;
- 25-34 years old Malaysians are the most positive about the economy this year (56% in 2014 vs 37% in 2013), while the 55-64 year olds feel almost the same as last year (43% in 2014 vs 41% in 2013)
About the Study
The figures shown are findings from a study conducted by Ipsos Observer AsiaBus via Telephone interviews, among a total of over a 1,000 respondents in Central, North, South and the East Coast of Malaysia among respondents aged 16-64. The fieldwork was conducted in March 2014 and December 2013
