Utah’s consumer sentiment was largely unchanged between September and October, according to the Kem C. Gardner Institute’s Utah Consumer Confidence Survey, released earlier this month. The Utah index dropped to 81.5 in October, down from 83.0 in September.
In its survey representing Americans as a whole, the University of Michigan likewise found little change over the prior month.
“Consumer confidence slid over the summer as the delta variant caused a surge in COVID cases across the country,” said Juliette Tennert, chief economist at the Gardner Institute. “Optimism has improved with this surge seemingly coming to an end; however, this is offset by concerns about inflation.”
The Utah Consumer Confidence Survey uses comparable questions to the University of Michigan’s Survey of Consumers. These questions measure residents’ views of present and future economic conditions. Both surveys include a random sample of consumers, including demographic questions to assess the representativeness of the sample.