Roy Morgan Research
March 23, 2021

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence down 0.5pts to 110.4

Topic: Consumer Confidence, Press Release
Finding No: 8655
RMR Logo

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence was down by 0.5pts to 110.4 on March 20/21, 2021. Consumer Confidence is now exactly level with the 2021 weekly average of 110.4 but is a huge 38.2pts higher than the same week a year ago, March 21/22, 2020 (72.2).

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence was down by 0.5pts to 110.4 on March 20/21, 2021. Consumer Confidence is now exactly level with the 2021 weekly average of 110.4 but is a huge 38.2pts higher than the same week a year ago, March 21/22, 2020 (72.2).
The Consumer Confidence result from a year ago was the week that saw a record plunge of 27.8% to a then record low of 72.2 in the index as heavy restrictions were introduced around Australia in response to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This week’s decrease has been driven by decreasing confidence about the next 12 months with regards to personal finances and also the performance of the broader Australian economy.

Current financial conditions

  • Now 27% (unchanged) of Australians say their families are ‘better off’ financially than this time last year and 28% (down 2ppts), say their families are ‘worse off’ financially.


Future financial conditions

  • In addition, 36% (down 3ppts) of Australians expect their family to be ‘better off’ financially this time next year (the lowest figure for this indicator for over five months since November 7/8, 2020) compared to only 14% (unchanged) that expect to be ‘worse off’ financially.


Current economic conditions

  • Less than a fifth of Australians, 19% (down 2ppts), expect ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next 12 months while 17% (unchanged), expect ‘bad times’.


Future economic conditions

  • In the longer term, just over a fifth of Australians, 22% (down 2ppts), are expecting ‘good times’ for the economy over the next five years compared to 11% (down 1ppt) expecting ‘bad times’.


Time to buy a major household item

  • In good news for retailers an increasing plurality of Australians, 43% (up 2ppts) say now is a ‘good time to buy’ major household items, while 25% (unchanged), say now is a ‘bad time to buy’.


ANZ Head of Australian Economics, David Plank, commented:

Block Quote

“The very positive news about the labour market in February, with a strong gain in jobs and the much bigger than expected drop in the unemployment rate have not boosted consumer confidence. The torrential downpours and overflowing dams causing flash floods along parts of the east coast possibly dampened sentiment, as evident from the index falling 5.9% in Brisbane and 2.6% in Sydney. Along with the harsh weather conditions, the JobKeeper program approaching its end may also be causing some apprehension.”


Related Research Reports

The latest Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence Monthly Report is available on the Roy Morgan Online Store. It provides demographic breakdowns for Age, Sex, State, Region (Capital Cities/ Country), Generations, Lifecycle, Socio-Economic Scale, Work Status, Occupation, Home Ownership, Voting Intention, Roy Morgan Value Segments and more

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. Margin of error 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. 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 ±3.0 ±2.7 ±1.9 ±1.3
5,000 ±1.4 ±1.2 ±0.8 ±0.6
7,500 ±1.1 ±1.0 ±0.7 ±0.5
10,000 ±1.0 ±0.9 ±0.6 ±0.4
20,000 ±0.7 ±0.6 ±0.4 ±0.3
50,000 ±0.4 ±0.4 ±0.3 ±0.2

Related Findings

Back to topBack To Top Arrow