GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Feb. 27, 2013 – While the national Consumer Confidence Index surged more than 10 points according to a report released yesterday, Florida’s confidence index survey by the University of Florida (UF) found little change in February, with the index declining by one point to 74.

Chris McCarty, director of UF’s Survey Research Center in the Bureau of Economic and Business Research, attributes the modest decline to payroll tax cuts that took effect Jan. 1, 2013. He says the federal sequester that appears to be taking effect on Friday could have more of an impact.

However, the UF survey looks at current attitudes and it asks respondents about their expectations for the future. While the future outlook dropped, more Floridians reported good things about their current situation.

The UF study reveals that most consumers, and particularly seniors, are more positive than they were last month about their personal finances. Overall perception that personal finances improved from a year ago rose six points to 65. And expectations that survey takers will be better off financially this time next year went up by one point to 76. In addition, the consensus on whether it’s currently a good time to buy big-ticket retail goods, such as a washing machine, rose one point to 88.

However, expectations for the U.S. economy over the coming year fell four points to 72, and faith in the nation’s economic health over the next five years fell even further, dipping seven points to 69.

“This negative outlook may mean that consumers are less bothered by the expiration of the payroll tax and more concerned about the effects of sequestration that are due to go into effect March 1,” McCarty says.

Details of the February survey can be found on UF’s website.

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