A quarter of Britons expect to be better off in 2017 than last year, despite rising inflation and fears of a “hard” Brexit, according to PwC.
Its consumer survey suggests that positive sentiment is marginally up on last year, when only 21 per cent of those polled expected to be better off. However, 26 per cent of those polled said that they expected conditions to worsen over the next 12 months.
PwC, which questioned more than 2,000 people across England, Scotland and Wales, said that issues such as the national living wage were encouraging a “feelgood factor” in some quarters.
For example, when asked why they felt better off, 34 per cent of people cited pay increases and 30 per cent pointed to an improvement in their personal prospects. Those consumers who felt they would be worse off generally cited fears over the economy as the No 1 reason for their concerns.
Kien Tan, director at PwC, said: “Many consumers’ personal circumstances have been improving in the past year, with falling unemployment and the national living wage being reflected in many people’s pay packets.
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“However, for the first time those in the 45-to-54 and 55-to-64 age groups were the most pessimistic, with 31 per cent and 34 per cent expecting to be worse off next year, respectively. This marks a departure from our previous surveys, where the 65-plus age group has been the most pessimistic.”