New Interactive Trend Tracker Reveals Historical Trends
Global consumer confidence increased one index point to 97 in the second quarter of 2014, marking the highest level since first-quarter 2007, according to consumer confidence findings from Nielsen. This forward momentum comes after a stagnant 2013, when confidence was stubbornly stuck at 94 for three out of four quarters.
The Nielsen consumer confidence index measures perceptions of local job prospects, personal finances and immediate spending intentions. Consumer confidence levels above and below a baseline of 100 indicate degrees of optimism and pessimism, respectively.
Regionally, North America (103) and Europe (77) reported consumer confidence increases of three and two points, respectively, from the first quarter. Confidence was highest in the Asia-Pacific region, which held steady from the first quarter with a score of 106. Confidence declined in the Latin America (90) and Middle East/Africa regions (93), dropping three points and one point, respectively.
In the world’s biggest economies, consumer confidence increased six points in the U.S. (104), remained flat in China (111), declined eight points in Japan (73), declined three points in Germany (96), increased one point in France and increased three points in the U.K from the first quarter.
"Buoyant increases across confidence metrics in North America and steady gains within parts of Europe strike a positive note with regard to economic recovery in mature markets," said Dr. Venkatesh Bala, chief economist at The Cambridge Group, a part of Nielsen. "The key to continued sustained economic expansion, however, will be further strengthening of the job market, which is vital for increased consumer spending."
In addition to highlighting the second-quarter 2014 findings, Nielsen released nine years of historical consumer confidence data all at once—like you’ve never seen it before. The Nielsen Global Consumer Confidence Trend Tracker allows users to create dynamic historical views by region, country and time period so they can explore consumer trends, compare markets and reveal insights in a click. The Trend Tracker makes the data more accessible and the analysis simpler than ever before.
The report also details:
For more detail and insight, download Nielsen’s Global Survey of Consumer Confidence and Spending Intentions.
The findings in this survey are based on respondents with online access across 60 countries. While an online survey methodology allows for tremendous scale and global reach, it provides a perspective only on the habits of existing Internet users, not total populations. In developing markets where online penetration has not reached majority potential, audiences may be younger and more affluent than the general population of that country. Additionally, survey responses are based on claimed behavior, rather than actual metered data.