Fieldwork conducted on 3 5 June
2026
According to BRC-Opinium data, consumer expectations
over the next three months of:
-
The state of the economy improved to -43 in
June, up from -48 in May.
-
Their personal financial situation improved to
-15 in June, up from -16 in May.
-
Their personal spending on retail fell to +5
in June, down from +7 in May.
-
Their personal spending overall rose to +16 in
June, up from +15 in May.
-
Their personal saving fell to -9 in June, down
from -8 in May.
The proportion of people concerned that conflict in the
Middle East could
-
Increase the price of food fell to 79% in
June, down from 82% in May.
-
Increase the price of non-food remained at 74%
in June, the same as in May.
-
Increase energy bills fell to 80% in June,
down from 83% in May.
Helen Dickinson, Chief Executive of the British Retail
Consortium, said:
Consumer confidence ticked up again in June, with people feeling
slightly less pessimistic about both the economy and their
personal finances. This coincided with a lull in the Middle East
conflict at the start of June, easing concerns about energy
prices and inflation. Although retail spending intentions dipped,
this is likely due to lower inflation expectations, rather than
weakening demand. It's all to play for as fast moving events in
the Middle East and at home could shake consumer confidence or
allow the improvements to gain momentum next month .
Job prospects remain crucial. The loss of 66,000 retail jobs over
the last year will do little to keep confidence moving in the
right direction, particularly for young people and others
struggling to take their first steps on the career ladder.
Government policies that increase the costs and complexity of
employing people, particularly the young, risk undermining both
employment prospects and the recovery in consumer confidence.
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).
This monitor was started in March 2024, and records are from this
date.
