Taiwan’s consumer confidence index rose by 14 points in the first quarter of this year compared with six months ago, the largest increase in 55 polled countries, according to the results of the latest Global Consumer Confidence Survey issued by Nielsen Co.
The global consumer confidence index in the first quarter of this year averaged 92, which represented a six-point increase from six months ago and its highest level since the third quarter of 2007, according to the survey conducted from March 8 to March 26 among 27,000 consumers in 55 countries throughout the Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and North America.
Consumer confidence rose in 41 of the 55 countries surveyed during the quarter, with Taiwan registering the highest increase of 14 points to 107, followed by Singapore with an increase of 11 points to 114, and Israel and Mexico, both adding 10 points, according to the survey.
India, with 127 index points, Indonesia, with 116 and Norway, with 115, remained the world’s most confident nations, while Lithuania, with 46, Croatia, with 48 and Portugal, with 51, were the most pessimistic, according to the survey results.
Consumer confidence in China rebounded to 108 index points, its highest level since the first quarter of 2005. The Asia-Pacific posted the highest confidence increase of eight points of all regions, due in part to the big jumps in Taiwan and Singapore, according to the report.
Although Europe increased by two points overall, seven markets out of the 28 in the region posted declines in consumer confidence, with consumer confidence in Greece falling by 15 points, the steepest decline among all the countries surveyed, due to its debt crisis, according to the findings.
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