Bloomberg News announced Tuesday that it would launch the Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index, a weekly, random-sample survey tracking Americans’ views on the condition of the U.S. economy, their personal finances and the buying climate, later this week.
The survey, formerly sponsored by ABC News since 1985, will be released for the first time on Thursday.
The Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index is produced by Langer Research Associates of New York. Each release includes results among 1,000 randomly selected adults, with breakdowns available by age, race, sex, education, political affiliation and other groups. The Index has significant long-term correlations, including on a time-lagged basis, with a variety of key economic indicators.
In addition to its three measures of current sentiment, the data include a monthly gauge of economic expectations, based on the share of Americans who say the economy is getting better, getting worse or staying the same. The first expectations results will be included in this week’s release.
“The Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index is a natural extension of Bloomberg’s continued commitment to the most comprehensive reporting of the U.S. economy,” said Matthew Winkler, editor-in-chief of Bloomberg News, in a statement.
