Consumer financial optimism reaches a 3 year high in June 2013.

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BCI – Financial Optimism Index; June 2013
The Index of British Consumers views on their Personal Financial Prospects
Confidence about Financial Prospects Highest since June 2010.
The British Consumer Index has today (26 June 2013) released the latest Financial Optimism Index.
The June figures show that confidence rose for the third month in a row, a feat not witnessed since April 2012.
The Financial Optimism Index measures how people think their personal financial situation will change over the
next few months.
The recovery in optimism which had been in evidence since November 2011 seems to be recovering. The June
figure suggests that confidence levels may be breaking out of the ‘stall’ which had been in evidence since May
2012.

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As ever the overall figure hides considerable differences in different sections of the population.
 If you are under 40 you are more likely to be optimistic with 50 being the ‘tipping point’
 If you are male you are less likely to think things will remain the same
 The most pessimistic are those between 60 and 65 years old, the pre-retirement effect?
 London is the most optimistic region
For more details see the charts below or contact; Steve Abbott;
E- stevea@thebps.co.uk
T- 0203 286 1981
Notes: Figures are collected by The British Population Survey by face to face in home interviews with a
population representative sample of 1,000 adults aged 15+ per month (total sample size = 42,973). Index values
range between 100 (fully positive) and -100 (fully negative).
Fully analysable data is available from www.bcindex.co.uk

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Charts: 3 months to June 2013, n = 2,997
Males are slightly more likely to think that things will change rather than stay the same.
There is a direct correlation between age and optimism. The older people are the less confidence they have that
things will get better. The cross over point being around 50 yrs old.

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There is far more diversity in the numbers of people who think things will get worse when the index is looked at
by Social Grade.
In terms of Lifestage the distribution reflects the predominant age groups at each stage.

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There is no evidence of a ‘North/South’ divide when it comes to Financial Optimism. The biggest contrast is
between London and the South.
Main Income earners for the household are less optimistic than those who do not carry that responsibility.