Fieldwork conducted on 2-5 September
2025
According to BRC-Opinium data, consumer expectations
over the next three months of:
-
The state of the economy worsened to -36 in
September, down from -32 in August.
-
Their personal financial situation slightly
worsened to -7 in September, down from -6 in August.
-
Their personal spending on retail rose
slightly to +5 in September, up from +4 in August.
-
Their personal spending overall fell slightly
to +14 in September, down from +16 in August.
-
Their personal saving fell to 0 in August,
down from +2 in September.
Helen Dickinson, Chief Executive of the British Retail
Consortium, said:
“Confidence among Millennials fell dramatically this month, as
their expectations for both the economy and their own finances
fell by double digits. The same generation also cut spending
expectations for the months ahead, though this was largely offset
by improvements for Gen Z, who remain the most optimistic.
Worries about the Budget, combined with the increase in the cost
of living, have eroded confidence, with little sign that
inflation will come down soon.
“Inflation is now one of the biggest concerns among the public,
with food inflation expected to rise to 6% by the end of the
year. All eyes are now firmly locked on the 26 November, and what
the Chancellor will announce. The Government can help mitigate
inflation, improve the cost of living, and raise consumer
confidence, by ensuring the upcoming business rates reforms offer
a meaningful reduction to retail business rates, while ensuring
no shop pays more as a result.”
Consumer expectations for the state of the economy
over the next three months:
Consumer expectations for their personal financial
situation over the next three months:
Consumer expectations of spending over the next three
months by category:
Consumer NET expectations of spending over the next
three months by category:
-ENDS-
Methodology:
Fieldwork conducted by Opinium for the BRC. Sample included 2,000
UK adults and results have been weighted and assigned a net
score. The better/worse figures in the graphs are rounded, while
net scores are calculated from precise figures. Questions were:
- Over the next 3 months, do you expect your personal finances
to get better or worse?
- Over the next 3 months, do you expect the state of the UK
economy to get better or worse?
- What do you plan to do in relation to your spending over the
next 3 months?
- Reflecting on your retail spend across different categories,
overall do you expect to spend more or less on retail items over
the next 3 months?
- What are your expectations for saving over the next 3 months?
- What are your expectations for spending on the following
retail categories over the next three months compared to the
previous 3 months?
If you would like the results of the questions by Gender,
Generation, Location, Working status, or Income, please contact
the Press Office. Generations are defined as: Gen Z (18-27),
Millenial (28-43), Gen X (44-59), and Boomer (60-78).
