SINGAPORE: A survey by research group The Nielsen Company
found that consumer sentiment here improved by 9 points to 96 in
the third quarter this year.
Singaporeans were also more upbeat compared to the rest of
the world, with the Nielsen Global Consumer Confidence Index at 86
points.
And even though Singapore has officially emerged from recession in
the second quarter this year, consumers are still in recovery
mode.
Among the respondents here, 59 per cent said the country was still
in recession, 20 points less than the 79 per cent who thought so in
the previous three months.
Some 53 per cent of consumers here also described local job
prospects as good or excellent in the next 12 months, up from the
previous quarter's 34 per cent.
When it comes to financial matters, 53 per cent of Singaporean
consumers felt positive about the current state of their personal
finance, as opposed to 46 per cent in the June survey.
Similarly, Singaporeans were also less worried about the economy
and job security, which were their two key concerns back in the
second quarter.
The Nielsen Company said on Monday the surge in confidence
signifies a return to positive territory and demonstrates that the
tide has turned.
The survey found that India, Indonesia and Norway continued to top
the global rankings for the most confident nations. Conversely, the
most pessimistic nations were Latvia and Japan.
The survey of 30,500 Internet users in 54 countries was conducted
between September and October.
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