Nielsen: Increase in New Zealanders Economic Confidence

NIELSEN: INCREASE IN NEW ZEALANDERS ECONOMIC CONFIDENCE

New Zealand Consumer Confidence Measures at 97, Up Four Points from Q2 2013;

Caution Remains on Personal Finances

Auckland, New Zealand (1 November 2013) – New Zealand consumer confidence indexed at 97 in the third quarter of 2013, increasing four points, according to Nielsen, a leading global provider of information and insights into what consumers watch and buy. (see chart 1)

In the latest round of the survey, conducted between August 14 and September 6, 2013, New Zealand was slightly ahead of Australia, where consumer confidence decreased by two points to 96, the global average (94) and the UK which indexed at 87. New Zealand was behind the United States (98) that had its third consecutive quarter of increases and highest level since Q3 2007. Confidence levels above and below a baseline of 100 indicate degrees of optimism and pessimism.

Rob Clark, managing director, Nielsen New Zealand, said: “Confidence levels of New Zealanders are the highest we’ve seen in two years and nearly half of Kiwis (47%) now believe we are out of a recession, an improvement of twelve percentage points in the last year. People are feeling slightly better about their job prospects, however there remains caution around the state of personal finances and their willingness to buy the things they want and need.”

“Regarding personal finances, those who have spare cash plan to increase their savings and pay off debt and those intending to add to a retirement fund nearly doubled from the last quarter (from 11% to 19%). This suggests people are trying to be more mindful of the future,” said Clark.

Clark adds, “In addition more people said they would spend on home improvements and decorating, further evidence more people are looking to plan for the future, especially as the housing market continues to heat up. Intentions to spend on out of home entertainment increased five percentage points compared to Q2 2013 a positive sign for the hospitality industry for the coming summer months.” 

Chart 1: Nielsen Consumer Confidence Index

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Source: Nielsen Global Survey of Consumer Confidence and Spending Intentions, Q3 2013

Chart 2: How to Utilise Spare Cash after Covering Essential Living Expenses

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About the Nielsen Global Survey
The Nielsen Global Survey of Consumer Confidence and Spending Intentions was conducted between August 14 and September 6, 2013, and polled more than 30,000 online consumers in 60 countries throughout Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, and North America. The sample has quotas based on age and sex for each country based on their Internet users, is weighted to be representative of Internet consumers, and has a maximum margin of error of ±0.6. This Nielsen survey is based on the behaviour of respondents with online access only. Internet penetration rates vary by country. Nielsen uses a minimum reporting standard of 60-percent Internet penetration or 10M online population for survey inclusion. The China Consumer Confidence Index is compiled from a separate mixed methodology survey among 3,500 respondents in China. The Nielsen Global Survey, which includes the Global Consumer Confidence Index, was established in 2005.

About Nielsen
Nielsen Holdings N.V. (NYSE: NLSN) is a global information and measurement company with leading market positions in marketing and consumer information, television and other media measurement, online intelligence and mobile measurement. Nielsen has a presence in approximately 100 countries, with headquarters in New York, USA, and Diemen, the Netherlands. For more information, visit www.nielsen.com.

ENDS

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