Nielsen: Consumer Confidence Continues To Increase

Global consumer confidence increased one index point to 97 in the second quarter of 2014, the highest score since Q1 2007, according to consumer confidence findings from Nielsen.

This follows a two-point increase at the start of the year that marked the global index’s first return to pre-recession levels. Additionally, half of global respondents believed the job market would be good or excellent in the upcoming year, a 1-percentage-point increase from the first quarter and a level not reached since 2007.

In conjunction with the second-quarter index release, Nielsen is unveiling a new interactive data visualization tool based on nine years of historical global consumer confidence data, which spans 60 countries and represents a global online population of some 2 billion consumers. The Nielsen Global Consumer Confidence Trend Tracker allows users to select a variety of different data points related to consumer economic sentiment to create dynamic visualizations by region, country, issue, and time period.

Among the world’s biggest economies, consumer confidence increased six points over Q1 2014 in Italy (51), four points in the the U.S. (104), three points in the U.K. (90), and one point in France (60). China’s consumer confidence remained flat at 111, while confidence declined eight points in Japan (73) and three points in Germany (96) compared to the previous quarter.

Regional consumer confidence increased three and two points, respectively, in North America (103) and Europe (77), compared to the first quarter. Confidence was highest in the Asia-Pacific region, which held steady from the first quarter at 106. Confidence declined over the previous quarter in Latin America (90) and the Middle East/Africa (93), decreasing three points and one point, respectively.

"Steady gains across confidence metrics within parts of Europe and buoyant increases in North America strike a positive note with regard to economic recovery in mature markets," said Dr. Venkatesh Bala, chief economist at The Cambridge Group, a division 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."

The Nielsen Global Survey of Consumer Confidence and Spending Intentions, established in 2005, measures consumer confidence, major concerns, and spending intentions among more than 30,000 respondents with Internet access in 60 countries. Consumer confidence levels above and below a baseline of 100 indicate degrees of optimism and pessimism.