Fieldwork conducted on 7 - 10 April
2026
According to BRC-Opinium data, consumer expectations
over the next three months of:
-
The state of the economy remained at -53 in
April, the same as in March. This remains the lowest on
record.
-
Their personal financial situation worsened to
-21 in April, down from -17 in March. This is the lowest on
record.
-
Their personal spending on retail rose to +5
in April, up from +2 in March.
-
Their personal spending overall rose to +15 in
April, up from +13 in March.
-
Their personal saving remained at -8 in April,
the same as in March.
Helen Dickinson, Chief Executive of the British Retail
Consortium, said:
“The Middle East conflict continues to stoke consumer anxiety
around inflation and the cost of living. Amid a volatile
geopolitical situation, households are expecting to see their pay
packets squeezed by rising petrol, domestic energy, and food
prices. Expected retail spending rose, but this was driven
entirely by grocery spend, with most consumers expecting to rein
in spending in other areas.
“The longer volatility drags on, the more uncertainty it creates
in the economy. Businesses are battered by higher energy costs
while also grappling with the growing burden of domestic policy
pressures. From new packaging taxes to incoming employment and
health regulations, the government has levers it can pull to
limit the inflationary fallout. Taking early, decisive action
would help shield consumers from a spike in the cost of living
they simply can't afford.”
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?
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 (18-29),
Millennial (30-45), Gen X (46-61), Boomer (62-80) and Silent
Generation (81+).
This monitor was started in March 2024, and records are from this
date.
