A happy new year for consumer confidence as every measure sees improvement

• Overall index improves (+1.3) 
• Household finance outlook (+1.1) and retrospective scores (+0.3) increase 
• Perceptions of house prices improve in short term (+2.9) and longer-term (+0.6) 
• Business activity sees most significant gains over past 30 days (+3.0) and looking forward to year ahead (+1.5) 

2024 ended on a positive note for UK consumer confidence, according to the latest data from YouGov and the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr). The overall index rose from 111.2 to 112.5 (+1.3) in December – the highest score since August 2021 (112.9). 

YouGov collects consumer confidence data every day, conducting over 6,000 interviews a month. Respondents answer questions about household finances, property prices, job security and business activity, capturing their views on the past 30 days and on their forecast for the coming 12 months.

Both household finance measures saw improvements, although retrospective measures only saw a slight jump from 95.0 to 95.3 (+0.3). Outlook, however, jumped from 98.8 to 99.9 (+1.1) – taking this measure to the brink of net positivity.

Other metrics saw more dramatic movement. Although recent data from Halifax has suggested a dip in house prices, at the end of December homeowners felt good about their property values over the past 30 days : scores improved from 116.3 to 119.2, an uptick of 2.9 points. Outlook, however, saw more modest gains, rising from 131.0 to 131.6 (+0.6). 

Workers were more likely to report increased business activity over the past 30 days, with scores rising from 112.4 to 115.4 (+3.0) – perhaps reflecting a busy festive period.  Their feelings about business activity over the next 12 months were also more optimistic, with scores rising from 125.4 to 126.9 (+1.5). 

As for their own prospects, feeling was a little more muted. Retrospective scores for job security improved from 97.5 to 97.7 (+0.2), and outlook increased from 112.9 to 114.3 (+1.4).