Consumer Confidence 2012

COMMUNISPACE INDEX NO. 1 WHAT'S DRIVING CONSUMER2012 CONFIDENCE 012 In an effort to understand what is affecting consumer confidence in 2012, we asked members of our online communities how they feel about the coming year, and what factors contribute to their feeling confident about spending money and making purchases. THE STUDY WE FOUND THAT THE CONSUMERS WE TALKED TO FELL INTO THREE CATEGORIES: CAUTIOUS OPTIMIST UNCERTAIN PESSIMIST 41% 36% 22% "I don't think l'll ever feel "My financial situation is not that bright right now. I "I'm feeling a little overwhelmed with my financial situation right "confident" again about how now because we have gotten do however feel that it will things are here in the US. behind on some things since we bought our house. not get any worse, but After seeing what has happened in this recession and in the years before it, I don't think I'll ever feel it's difficult to believe it will But I am confident that in get better." 2012 we will get caught up, get bills paid off, and be able to start saving money." - Kuldip J. sure the ground underneath my feet is rock-solid again." - Joan K. Sarah K. The resulting conversations also revealed that personal factors, such as cash flow, savings, and having a reliable source of income much more heavily impact confidence than external factors such as the economy, the stock market, and the housing market. While most consumers feel that things are getting better, even the most optimistic are focused primarily on their personal finances, prioritizing saving over spending. WHAT ARE CONSUMERS CONSIDERING BEFORE MAKING PURCHASES? MORE IMPORTANT STOCK MARKET HOUSING MARKET UNEMP- LOYMENT DEBT RISING POLITICAL COSTS DIRECTION CONSUMER SPENDING LESS IMPORTANT PERSONAL INVESTMENTS SAVINGS NATIONAL DEBT HEALTH CARE JOB SECURITY CASH FLOW CONSUMERS VOICE THEIR CONCERNS CASH FLOW JOB SECURITY SAVINGS "Being employed with health insurance is the biggest factor in my consumer confidence. It reduces my concern about a major illness or hospital stay when I know that my "I do think that my finances will improve in the coming year because all signs point to the economy, housing and unemployment turning around, so eventually the doom and gloom media will have to start reporting more optimistic stories." "Not the stock market with its ups and downs, confidence to me means feeling like I have enough for the forseeable future and a steady stream of income coming in.' family is covered." - M. K. - Valerie T. - Pam K. POLITICAL DIRECTION CONSUMER CONCERNS BY GENDER MEN WOMEN vs "I don't control what the government or voters choose to do, so I am not confident that the economy will recover to allow people a true sense of economic freedom." CASH FLOW JOB SECURITY - Jon K. SAVINGS UNEMPLOYMENT POLITICAL DIRECTION "You can't have spending money UNEMPLOYMENT without a job and with no real new jobs being created there is not going to be a recovery. I know one person that can't find a job because of age STOCK MARKET and weight . her unemployment is gone and her savings are completely used up." HOUSING MARKET - Adelina T. DEBT STOCK MARKET RISING COSTS CONSUMER SPENDING "The market goes up and down so many times, it would need to be showing at least 4 months of positive movement for confidence to PERSONAL INVESTMENTS start to stablize." - Kathy K. NATIONAL DEBT HEALTH CARE PRODUCED BY: ABOUT THE COMMUNISPACE INDEX The Communispace Index is a series of infographics that explores the mindset of consumers around current events and trends. Based on original research conducted in the IdeaSpaces (Communispace's proprietary online communities), the Communispace Index provides a qualitative window into the consumer perspective. To receive the Communispace Index for free, please sign up at communispace learn.communispace.com/communispace-index DESIGN BY: ABOUT COMMUNISPACE The world's most admired brands turn to Communispace, the leader in LUMIN İNTERACTIVE generating game-changing insights via private online customer communities. Founded in 1999, the company has created more than 500 customer communities for industry leaders such as Kraft, Hewlett-Packard, Charles Schwab, Coca-Cola, Hallmark, Unilever, Air France KLM, and GlaxoSmithKline. SOURCES: The research activity was conducted in early January 2012 utilizing Communispace's proprietary market research online communities (MROCS) known as the IdeaSpace. The IdeaSpace communities allow for real-time, online access to men and women between the ages of 25 and 59. In this activity 151 respondents from across the country weighed-in to a facilitated discussion asking them to share their feelings about the direction of the U.S. economy in the coming year and more specifically: "What determines your level of 'consumer confidence'?"