New Zealanders Still Uncomfortable With Economy

New Zealanders Still Uncomfortable With the Economy

Although they are feeling a little better than they were in February, most New Zealanders still don’t think the economy is in good shape or that it is a good time to buy the things they want and need.

Updating its Consumer Comfort Index (CCI) today, UMR Research said that a clear majority (61%) of New Zealanders still believe that it is not a good time to buy the things they want or need. In February 64% were uncomfortable with the buying climate.

The CCI calculates consumer comfort based on how people feel about the economy now, their personal finances and how they rate their ability to buy the things they want and need. The fact that the CCI is at -12% shows that many New Zealanders are experiencing moderately high levels of discomfort, while some are experiencing significant pain. This has improved since February, however, when the CCI was at -18%

New Zealanders are still nowhere near as negative about the current situation as their US counterparts - the US index remains at -49, the same as it was in February.

The New Zealand data is from UMR Research’s latest online survey of a nationally representative sample of 1,000 New Zealanders aged 18 years and over . UMR’s Consumer Comfort Index is based on the ABC News Consumer Comfort Index, which has been running in the US since 1985.

Other key findings include:

- 62% of New Zealanders think that our current economic conditions are not good or poor (down 6% since February).

- 43% of New Zealanders describe their own personal financial situation as not good or poor (down 2% since February).

ENDS

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