Bay State Consumers More Confident
Confidence among Massachusetts consumers has reached its highest level since the summer of 2007, months before the start of the Great Recession, according to a new survey by Boston-based Mass Insight Global Partnerships.
Confidence soared more than 30 percent from the fourth quarter of 2011 on the Massachusetts Consumer Confidence Index. The index is based on the national Conference Board Index, which is scaled to a 1985 base of 100 and varies above and below that point. The new reading of 84, up from 64, still indicates that respondents on the whole are more negative than positive about the economy.
"Increases in both current and future expectations were responsible for this quarter's dramatic upturn," said William H. Guenther, Mass Insight president. "If economic conditions continue to improve, this could be the turning point in attitudes among Massachusetts residents."
However, perceptions of the job market remained negative, with more than half of consumers surveyed saying jobs are "hard to get." Survey respondents were more optimistic about the availability of jobs in the future, with 37 percent saying they thought there would be more jobs in the next six months, up 14 percent since last quarter.
WBJ Web Partners
Most Recent
Most Recent
0 Comments