Global online confidence declined to its lowest level in six quarters as economic recovery hit a stumbling block.
Key Takeaways from the Q2 Report:
- 58% of global online consumers said they are still in a recession – the most in the past year. More than half believe they will still be in a recession in a year’s time.
- 31% of U.S. consumers said they have no spare cash for discretionary spending, along with 25% of Middle East/Africa consumers and 22% of Europeans.
- Indian consumers, despite a five point quarterly decline, remained the most positive.
- Largest confidence declines in Q2 were recorded in Egypt and Saudi Arabia, which had enjoyed the biggest increases in Q1 2011.
- Increasing utility bills and inflation again eclipsed the economy and job security as main concerns in Europe.
- Latin America consumer confidence edges up one index point to 91.
The Nielsen Global Online Consumer Confidence Survey, established in 2005, tracks consumer confidence, major concerns and spending intentions among more than 31,000 Internet consumers in 56 countries. Consumer confidence levels above and below a baseline of 100 indicate degrees of optimism and pessimism.
