At the end of December 2016, the consumer climate for the 28 EU countries had risen to its highest level since January 2008. It climbed by two points to 19.9 in January 2017, before settling at 18.9 in March. 

Meanwhile British consumer expectations remain low, standing at -13.2 points at the end of the first quarter. This is a recovery from last July’s low of -28.3 (the lowest level in four years), but is still low compared to the previous year’s first quarter reading of 2.1.

Specifically, British consumers’ income expectations fell to 1.2 points at the end of the quarter, having been at a relatively strong level of 11.1 points in January. This also represents a decline of 16.5 points from Q1 2016. 

Propensity to buy among British consumers is also low, having dropped 4.1 points over the course of the first quarter. 

Full findings across all countries can be found here.