Green shoots? Britain out of the relegation zone
The latest Ipsos Consumer Confidence Index finds British consumers feeling a little better about the state of the economy than they did 12 months ago.
Some 19% now say the economy is in “good shape”, which represents a marked improvement on a year ago. In June 2012, only 12% gave the British economy a “good” rating.
Twelve European countries were covered in this monthly Ipsos global study. Britain is ranked 7th on the list.
At the top of the table are Norway, Sweden and Germany, who record ratings far ahead of the European average of 32%.
At the other end of the scale, France and Spain are the two most pessimistic nations:
% describing economy in ... [country] as “good”
| 2013 | Gov't | Cameron | Miliband | Clegg | Farage | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat % | Dis % | Sat % | Dis % | Sat % | Dis % | Sat % | Dis % | Sat % | Dis % | |
| 12-14 January 2013 | 27 | 64 | 34 | 59 | 36 | 48 | 28 | 61 | ||
| 9-11 February 2013 | 25 | 66 | 34 | 58 | 34 | 45 | 24 | 64 | ||
| 9-11 March 2013 | 24 | 68 | 31 | 61 | 32 | 52 | 22 | 65 | 35 | 26 |
| 13-15 April 2013 | 29 | 65 | 32 | 60 | 34 | 50 | 21 | 65 | 34 | 26 |
| 11-13 May 2013 | 28 | 63 | 36 | 57 | 35 | 49 | 26 | 63 | 40 | 29 |
| 08-10 June 2013 | 28 | 64 | 34 | 58 | 31 | 52 | 27 | 61 | 38 | 31 |
| 13-15 July 2013 | 30 | 62 | 38 | 54 | 30 | 56 | 27 | 61 | 34 | 35 |
| 10-12 August 2013 | 32 | 60 | 38 | 55 | 28 | 55 | 27 | 62 | 33 | 38 |
| 7-9 September 2013 | 32 | 60 | 36 | 56 | 24 | 60 | 24 | 64 | 29 | 36 |
British consumers remain cautious about prospects for the next 6 months. Some 12% expect to see an improvement, a finding in line with many other European countries. The Americans are more bullish, with 23% optimistic about the future. In France, however, the proportion expecting to see an improvement in their local economy stands at just 3%.
Simon Atkinson, Assistant Chief Executive at Ipsos said:
“Britain has moved out of the relegation zone and into mid-table – a further sign the country may have turned a corner. There’s still not much to celebrate, though, and the continued gloom and doom in other European markets is a reminder of how fragile things still are”.
Technical note
- The survey instrument is conducted monthly in 24 countries via the Ipsos Online Panel system.
- For the results of the survey herein, a total sample of 19,514 adults age 18-64 in the US and Canada, and age 16-64 in all other countries, was interviewed between 4-18 June 2013.
- Approximately 1000+ individuals were surveyed in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Great Britain, India, Italy, Japan, Spain, and the United States of America.
- Approximately 500+ individuals were surveyed in Argentina, Belgium, Finland, Hungary, Indonesia, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden and Turkey.
- Sample characteristics: the sample is made up of “Primary Consumers” who are a comparable, standardized weighted group in each country based on a minimum level of education and income.
- For a majority of the countries surveyed the Primary Consumer population is also representative of the general population based on the latest census. More details can be found at www.ipsosglobaladvisor.com
- The precision of Ipsos online polls are calculated using a credibility interval with a poll of 1,000 accurate to +/- 3.5 percentage points and of 500 accurate to +/- 5.0 percentage points.
- For more information on the Ipsos use of credibility intervals, please visit the Ipsos website.
