Ecomotion barometer: Dutch consumers’ confidence gone
Although the probability of job loss remained the same, one third of Dutch citizens recently started to feel worse about their financial future. Many consumers are postponing major purchases, the latest Tilburg Consumer Outlook Monitor (Tilcom) results shows.
The Tilburg Consumer Outlook Monitor (TILCOM) is conducted four times a year by CentERdata at Tilburg University. The results are used for the so-called Ecomotion-index. This barometer for the emotions of consumers dropped from to 35.5 in June to 19.8 in September 2011.
The slow economic recovery of the past two years was completely undone by this decrease. Government cutbacks in numerous areas, the euro crisis and economic stagnation clearly had a negative effect on the economic wellbeing of Dutch consumers and their consumer confidence.
Dutch citizens are less confident about keeping their jobs the coming year (16.3%) than a quarter ago (16.9%). “If consumer confidence drops any further, it will hamper domestic consumption even more,” says Jorna Leenheer, senior researcher at CentERdata.
The Dutch consumer has a much more negative outlook on the Dutch economy and world economy than about personal finances. Three quarters of the Dutch population expect that the economic situation in the Netherlands and the world will further deteriorate the coming year.
