The Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence Rating for April is at a 12-month high of 124.3, up 3.6 points from March and 16.1 points above the April average of 108.2.

Looking ahead, 42% (up 3%) expect to be better off financially this time next year, while 13% (down 2%) expect to be worse off.

Expectations of good economic conditions in Australia over the coming year are 43% (up 2%), while expectations of bad economic conditions over the coming year are 19% (down 2%).

The number of Australians expecting good economic times over the next five years is 37% (up 1%) compared to 19% (down 2%) of Australians who expect bad economic times over the next five years.

Currently, 36% (up 1%) say their personal financial situation is better now than it was last year, while 24% (down 2%) say they are now worse off.

Fifty-three per cent (up 1%) of Australians consider now a good time to buy major household items compared to 15% (down 1%) say it is a bad time.

Gary Morgan says:

“The Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence rating jumped to a 12-month high of 124.3 points in April, further evidence that rising petrol prices and concerns that interest rates need to be increased are having little impact on consumer sentiment.

“First-Quarter consumer price inflation data is due on April 24 and, with the Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence Rating at a 12-month high, the Reserve Bank will face another difficult decision at its next meeting on May 1.”

This month’s Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence Rating is based on 1,150 face-to-face interviews conducted Australia-wide with men and women aged 14 and over on the weekend of March 31/April 1.

For further information:

Monthly Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence Rating Figures
Year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Yearly Average
1973			119.2			117.0			108.4			103.8	112.1
1974			103.2			95.6			90.6			92.2	95.4
1975			114.0			104.2			100.8			103.0	105.5
1976	113.6		107.0	110.2		107.0	105.6		108.0	108.8	101.2		107.7
1977	104.2		98.6	101.6		103.8	99.4		105.0	104.4	109.4		103.3
1978	119.2		114.8	110.8		109.6	101.6		91.2	104.4	103.6		106.9
1979	110.2		106.2	109.4		92.6	90.2		99.4	97.6	98.8		100.6
1980	98.8		100.8	97.4		101.6	98.2		104.4	109.8	106.4		102.2
1981	113.4		111.8	101.8		100.8	95.0		92.4	98.2	98.0		101.4
1982	92.4		91.8	93.6		92.2	80.4		84.6	81.2	75.2		86.4
1983	87.8		97.4	96.0		95.4	98.2		100.6	106.4	113.2		99.4
1984	124.6		120.8	120.8		115.6	116.6		118.2	117.8	114.6		118.6
1985	114.8		110.2	99.4		98.0	100.8		106.8	107.8	94.8		104.1
1986	105.4		103.8	94.6	94.8	91.6	79.8	79.8	78.8	89.8	85.6	88.8	90.3
1987	90.4	88.0	86.8	90.8	91.8	93.4	98.6	96.4	94.8	104.0	87.2	93.0	92.9
1988	100.4	98.8	103.6	106.2	104.0	104.0	107.6	108.2	112.4	108.8	104.2	105.8	105.3
1989	105.0	94.6	88.4	88.4	87.4	72.8	73.0	78.8	82.0	79.0	81.0	80.0	84.2
1990	101.6	95.6	83.4	88.3	84.7	83.1	79.6	83.9	75.6	71.4	73.1	71.3	82.6
1991	78.5	85.4	85.0	87.2	87.7	88.6	98.1	95.2	93.3	95.8	91.1	83.0	89.1
1992	93.6	95.9	96.2	105.4	101.6	97.7	95.4	96.9	96.8	101.2	93.6	92.9	97.3
1993	100.8	100.4	105.9	102.3	102.2	96.2	96.6	100.8	90.2	103.5	111.9	108.5	101.6
1994	120.5	127.5	125.7	127.7	125.2	128.0	127.6	123.8	123.6	124.6	118.1	118.0	124.2
1995	112.3	112.4	113.9	114.7	112.0	112.4	110.2	115.5	111.7	116.2	114.3	111.9	113.1
1996	116.7	119.1	123.7	121.5	118.8	117.8	112.3	114.4	113.2	111.3	113.4	113.2	116.3
1997	119.2	115.1	116.2	112.5	114.2	115.5	110.7	111.7	112.4	112.8	111.6	110.6	113.5
1998	117.8	116.0	114.9	110.2	114.4	109.8	107.6	111.1	111.0	113.9	114.2	114.7	112.8
1999	122.1	121.8	122.5	119.6	122.5	122.2	118.2	122.8	122.3	119.6	122.8	122.2	121.6
2000	122.3	119.9	112.9	116.6	112.0	108.7	114.8	119.1	115.8	115.6	110.3	112.3	115.0
2001	119.9	109.5	106.2	103.6	107.4	108.6	115.3	116.4	120.9*	106.8	109.4	113.3	111.4
2002	124.8	123.0	122.3	123.2	124.0	116.4	123.4	119.9	122.1	117.2	114.0	109.6	120.0
2003	122.5	113.4	109.9	120.8	127.0	122.4	123.2	122.4	123.2	121.2	124.2	120.4	120.9
2004	126.0	126.8	130.4	124.4	125.0	125.6	128.9	127.6	126	128.9	124.8	125.5	126.7
2005	133.2	132.0	121.5	119.4	119.5	118.8	116.8	120.6	114.3	105.4	110.6	117.7	119.2
2006	124.3	124.5	124.4	120.1	106.8	115.1	118.1	103.7^	108.6	115.8	111.5	117.4	115.9
2007	123.9	123.8	120.7	124.3									123.2
Monthly Average	111.3	111.6	109.0	108.2	108.7	105.4	104.6	108.3	104.7	106.4	104.6	105.2	106.9
* The Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence Rating for September 15/16, 2001, conducted by telephone, was 102.3. ^ 84 of the 107 Western Australian interviews were conducted by telephone on August 9/10 due to a recent Southern WA Cyclone

Results for the Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence Rating* for the component questions over the more recent surveys are as follows:
2005		Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	June	July	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Interviews		1,141	1,250	1,181	1,074	1,092	1,070	1,038	1,077	1,033	1,114	1,003	1,083
Q1 Would you say you and your family are better-off financially or worse off than you were at this time last year?
Over the past year	better off	36	36	35	32	34	32	31	36	32	32	31	34
	worse off	21	21	24	26	28	24	30	27	30	32	30	27
QUESTION 1 difference		15	15	11	6	6	8	1	9	2	0	1	7
Q2 This time next year, do you and your family expect to be better-off financially or worse off than you are now?
	better off	47	46	44	43	42	41	41	40	39	39	35	40
	worse off	11	11	15	15	15	16	20	16	21	26	20	17
QUESTION 2 difference		36	35	29	28	27	25	21	24	18	13	15	23
Q3 Thinking of economic conditions in Australia as a whole. In the next 12 months, do you expect we'll have good times financially, bad times or some good and some bad?
	good times	52	50	39	38	36	35	35	42	36	28	32	41
	bad times	14	15	23	26	24	25	27	23	28	39	32	23
QUESTION 3 difference		38	35	16	12	12	10	8	19	8	-11	-	18
Q4 Looking ahead, what would you say is more likely, that in Australia as a whole, we'll have continuous good times during the next five years of so - or we'll have bad times - or some good and some bad?
	good times	41	41	36	33	33	30	30	32	30	25	28	31
	bad times	14	13	16	22	21	23	22	24	25	29	26	26
QUESTION 4 difference		27	28	20	11	12	7	8	8	5	-4	2	5
Q5 Generally, do you think now is a good time - or a bad time - for people to buy major household items?
	good time to buy	61	58	50	53	55	55	61	57	52	50	53	53
	bad time to buy	11	11	18	14	14	12	14	14	14	21	18	18
QUESTION 5 difference		50	47	32	39	41	43	47	43	38	29	35	35
Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence Rating		133.2	132.0	121.5	119.4	119.5	118.8	116.8	120.6	114.3	105.4	110.6	117.7
* The Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence Rating is 100.0 plus the simple unweighted average of the difference between the percentage of respondents who give a favourable and those who give unfavourable answers to five key questions.

Results for the Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence Rating* for the component questions over the more recent surveys are as follows:
2006		Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	June	July	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Interviews		1,062	1,163	1,125	1,165	1,149	1,144	1,215	1,132	1,085	1,069	1,161	1,208
Q1 Would you say you and your family are better-off financially or worse off than you were at this time last year?
Over the past year	better off	31	35	34	34	30	32	32	30	32	32	35	36
	worse off	26	25	25	27	35	30	31	34	32	27	27	24
QUESTION 1 difference		5	10	9	7	-5	2	1	-4	0	5	8	12
Q2 This time next year, do you and your family expect to be better-off financially or worse off than you are now?
	better off	42	44	45	43	37	41	40	35	38	39	39	41
	worse off	14	14	14	16	22	19	19	26	21	16	19	13
QUESTION 2 difference		28	30	31	27	15	22	21	9	17	23	20	28
Q3 Thinking of economic conditions in Australia as a whole. In the next 12 months, do you expect we'll have good times financially, bad times or some good and some bad?
	good times	41	44	42	41	32	38	42	29	34	38	33	39
	bad times	21	21	20	25	34	26	25	38	32	26	31	24
QUESTION 3 difference		20	23	22	16	-2	12	17	-9	2	12	2	15
Q4 Looking ahead, what would you say is more likely, that in Australia as a whole, we'll have continuous good times during the next five years of so - or we'll have bad times - or some good and some bad?
	good times	36	35	34	34	30	29	33	29	30	32	28	33
	bad times	20	20	19	23	25	24	23	27	28	24	28	23
QUESTION 4 difference		16	15	15	11	5	5	10	2	2	8	0	10
Q5 Generally, do you think now is a good time - or a bad time - for people to buy major household items?
	good time to buy	64	59	58	55	45	51	57	46	45	50	49	45
	bad time to buy	12	14	13	15	24	17	16	27	23	19	22	23
QUESTION 5 difference		52	45	45	40	21	34	41	19	22	31	27	22
Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence Rating		124.3	124.5	124.4	120.1	106.8	115.1	118.1	103.7	108.6	115.8	111.5	117.4
* The Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence Rating is 100.0 plus the simple unweighted average of the difference between the percentage of respondents who give a favourable and those who give unfavourable answers to five key questions.

Results for the Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence Rating* for the component questions over the more recent surveys are as follows:
2007		Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	June	July	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Interviews		1,077	1,251	1,115	1,150
Q1 Would you say you and your family are better-off financially or worse off than you were at this time last year?
Over the past year	better off	36	34	35	36
	worse off	25	26	26	24
QUESTION 1 difference		11	8	9	12
Q2 This time next year, do you and your family expect to be better-off financially or worse off than you are now?
	better off	41	46	39	42
	worse off	16	15	15	13
QUESTION 2 difference		25	31	24	29
Q3 Thinking of economic conditions in Australia as a whole. In the next 12 months, do you expect we'll have good times financially, bad times or some good and some bad?
	good times	44	44	41	43
	bad times	21	21	21	19
QUESTION 3 difference		23	23	20	24
Q4 Looking ahead, what would you say is more likely, that in Australia as a whole, we'll have continuous good times during the next five years of so - or we'll have bad times - or some good and some bad?
	good times	37	37	36	37
	bad times	17	20	21	19
QUESTION 4 difference		20	17	15	18
Q5 Generally, do you think now is a good time - or a bad time - for people to buy major household items?
	good time to buy	57	56	52	53
	bad time to buy	17	16	16	15
QUESTION 5 difference		40	40	36	38
Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence Rating		123.9	123.8	120.7	124.3
* The Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence Rating is 100.0 plus the simple unweighted average of the difference between the percentage of respondents who give a favourable and those who give unfavourable answers to five key questions.

Margin of Error
The margin of error to be allowed for in any estimate depends mainly on the number of interviews on which it is based. The following table gives indications of the likely range within which estimates would be 95% likely to fall, expressed as the number of percentage points above or below the actual estimate. The figures are approximate and for general guidance only, and assume a simple random sample. Allowance for design effects (such as stratification and weighting) should be made as appropriate.

Sample Size	Percentage Estimate
	40%-60%	25% or 75%	10% or 90%	5% or 95%
1,000	±3.2	±2.7	±1.9	±1.4
1,500	±2.6	±2.2	±1.5	±1.1

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