In the latest Nielsen Consumer Confidence Index results released yesterday, Morocco’s score remained consistent at 85 score point in the last quarter of 2015.
UAE has the highest score in Africa/Middle East region.
“Optimistic outlook in the state of personal finances saw a slight but important increase of three points to reach 45 perecent in the last quarter of 2015,” said Tamer El Araby, Managing Director, North Africa & LEVANT.
“While ‘Job Security’ remains as the number one concern, fears about the state of the economy has declined in ranking from second place in the third quarter of 2015 to fifth place in the fourth quarter. ”
UAE led the way for Middle East/Africa consumer confidence with an index of 108, a rise of one point from third-quarter 2015, according to consumer confidence findings from Nielsen. Confidence declined over the previous quarter in the overall Middle East/Africa region (90), decreasing six points.
Among the region, Egypt (77) reported a drop of thirteen points compared to the third quarter, and Saudi Arabia a decline of three points to reach a score of 106. Pakistan posted the only regional confidence increase other than UAE, climbing two points to 103, and confidence held steady in South Africa (82) and Morocco (85).
While an online survey methodology allows for tremendous scale and global reach, it provides a perspective on the habits of existing Internet users, not total populations. In developing markets where online penetration has not reached majority potential, audiences may be younger and more affluent than the general population of that country. Additionally, survey responses are based on claimed behavior, rather than actual metered data.
Recessionary sentiment receded in the Middle East/Africa region, where the percentage of respondents who believed they were in recession increased from 60 percent in the third quarter 2015 to 70 percent.
The Nielsen Global Survey of Consumer Confidence and Spending Intentions, established in 2005, measures consumer confidence, major concerns, and spending intentions among more than 30,000 respondents with Internet access in 60 countries.
Consumer confidence levels above and below a baseline of 100 indicate degrees of optimism and pessimism.
