Fieldwork conducted on 10 - 13 March
2026
According to BRC-Opinium data, consumer expectations
over the next three months of:
-
The state of the economy worsened
significantly to -53 in March, down from -30 in February. This
is the lowest on record.
-
Their personal financial situation worsened to
-17 in March, down from -6 in February. This is the lowest on
record.
-
Their personal spending on retail rose to +2
in March, up from 0 in February.
-
Their personal spending overall rose to +13 in
March, up from +6 in February.
-
Their personal saving fell to -8 in March,
down from 0 in February.
Helen Dickinson, Chief Executive of the British Retail
Consortium, said:
“Consumer confidence collapsed as the Middle East conflict raised
the prospect of higher inflation in the months ahead. As stock
markets tumbled, confidence in both the economy and personal
finances dropped to their lowest levels on record. The drop in
confidence was most pronounced among the Boomer generation, who
are most reliant on investment and pension funds. Meanwhile,
spending expectations rose as shoppers expected to see rising
energy costs reflected across the economy.
“The current conflict has created a great deal of uncertainty in
the economy. Inflation is expected to rise in the coming months.
Just as the economy was beginning to turn a corner on inflation,
the rise in global energy prices is particularly unwelcome for
businesses and families. It is now vitally important that
Government policy does not exacerbate the situation, and bringing
down the cost of living must be a top priority. From new
employment laws to rising packaging taxes, Government must focus
on how it can minimise unnecessary costs to retailers, thereby
helping protect ordinary households from the rising cost of
living.”
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-
Data collection began in March 2024 – and all records are since
then.
The BRC sent this release to our "Monitors" and "General
Retail" media list. To check/update what media lists you are on,
please contact us below.
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?
