Consumer sentiment has been on something of a rollercoaster ride over the past few years, as first Covid and then war in Europe shattered both economic expectations and purchasing power. The latest Eden McCallum survey of consumers in the UK and the Netherlands confirms that the mood is shifting again.
Around 1,500 UK and Dutch citizens were asked to share their views on global, domestic and personal prospects and to describe how their spending decisions have altered over the past three months. What emerges is a picture of careful consumers, displaying increased optimism compared with a year ago, but still wary about many of their spending choices.
Throughout the survey, the mood is consistently gloomier in the UK than the Netherlands, unsurprising given the differing economic and inflationary contexts. In the UK c.35% of respondents are pessimistic about the future overall, higher than the c.30% who felt this way in 2021, but down from the c.50% recorded in October of last year. In the Netherlands pessimism is lower, and back to 2021 levels, at around 20%, down from a peak of c.30% in last October.
Read more on their website.