Stagnation, or slow re-emergence of hope
The improvement in moods that began a few months ago settled at a level of 80-odd points. Looking at how the CCI has fared over this period, one can spot a slight growth trend interwoven with spots of less favourable ratings. This November, the Consumer Confidence Index rose by 4 points to reach a level of 87.
November’s improvement in consumer moods derives above all from improvement in ratings for the economic climate – jumping by 7 points – and less so from the rise in willingness to buy – the index for which rose by 2 points. At the same time, these moods are accompanied by fewer worries about rising unemployment than in previous months (currently 39% of Poles expect unemployment to rise).
When looking at the components making up these ratings, one can see that the improvement in moods is a result of some consumers who previously expected the economic situation to worsen (currently at 31%) now believing that the situation is becoming stable (49%).
Since October there has been a 3 percentage point rise in the number of consumers saying they do not have enough money to live on. On the other hand, there are also more people expecting an improvement in their household’s financial situation (a rise of 4 percentage points). It is interesting to note that optimists are evenly spread among those claiming to have insufficient to live on and those saying they are able to put money aside to save. Consumers with an average financial situation seem not to expect any significant change in the future, while those in financial difficulty as well as those achieving a financial surplus look to the future with a certain degree of hope.
The CCI Consumer Confidence Index can take a value of from 0 to 200 points. The latest survey is based on the findings of a survey conducted between 5 and 12 November 2009 on a representative random-quota sample of 1009 Poles aged 15 and above.
WOK-eng
- The Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) and its components
The Consumer Confidence Index (Polish acronym: WOK) is based on questions placed in a monthly survey that has been conducted since December 1991. The population studied are inhabitants of Poland age 15 or over. The survey is conducted on a representative sample of 1000 persons. 
