August Consumer Confidence Sees Small Decline
Americans’ confidence in the economy edged down, with concerns about jobs and inflation rising. Plans for big-ticket purchases and vacations fell.
WASHINGTON — Americans’ view of the U.S. economy declined modestly in August as anxiety over a weakening job market grew for the eighth straight month.
The Conference Board said Tuesday that its consumer confidence index ticked down by 1.3 points to 97.4 in August, down from July’s 98.7, but in the same narrow range of the past three months.
The small decline in confidence was in line with the forecasts of most of the economists who were surveyed.
A measure of Americans’ short-term expectations for their income, business conditions and the job market fell by 1.2 points to 74.8, remaining significantly below 80, the marker that can signal a recession ahead. Consumers’ assessments of their current economic situation also fell modestly, to 131.2 in August from 132.8 in July.
The Conference Board’s report said that references to high prices and inflation increased again and were often mentioned in tandem with tariffs. The share of consumers expecting a recession over the next year rose in August to the highest level since April, when Trump’s tariff rollout began.
The share of survey respondents who said they intended to buy a car in the near future rose, while those planning to purchase a home remained stable after July’s decline.
Those saying they planned to buy big-ticket items like appliances fell, but there were big variations among product categories. Respondents who said they planned to take a vacation soon, either inside of the U.S. or abroad, also declined.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.