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For Immediate Release March 11, 2003
Contact: Cristi Allen
callen@decisionanalyst.com
Phone: 817-640-6166
Confidence In Stocks, Mutual Funds
Halved In Past Year, Survey Shows
The Middle-Aged And Women Most Likely To Offer Downbeat Assessments
Arlington, Texas (March 11, 2003)-Confidence in the stock market and mutual
funds has tumbled by almost half in the past year, according to a nationwide
Internet study by Decision Analyst, Inc., a leading international marketing
research and marketing consulting firm.
As part of its regular Economic Index survey, conducted monthly among a sampling
of several thousand households balanced by gender, age, and geography, Decision
Analyst asks respondents if they expect stocks and mutual funds to increase or
decrease in value over the next six months. The February data reveals that just
23.4 percent of respondents expect values to rise, 19.6 percentage points fewer
than in February 2002.
A breakdown of the survey findings by participants' gender reveals that such
confidence as does exist is mostly to be found in the male population. Almost
one-third (32.0 percent) of males expect the value of stocks and mutual funds
to increase, more than double the proportion of females (14.9 percent)
expressing similar views.
Age factors also impact on confidence, with those in their middle ages (35-44
and 45-54) least likely to have a positive view of future prospects. The number
of respondents in the 35-44 age range expecting values to increase (19.6
percent) is more than 10 percentage points fewer than among those approaching
or in retirement (28.9 percent of the 55+ respondents).
"This survey's findings demonstrate just how little confidence there is in the
economy right now," said Jerry W. Thomas, President and CEO of Decision
Analyst. "A lot of those people who invested heavily in the stock market and
mutual funds in the 1980s and 1990s are now strongly pessimistic about the
future of those investments. That's having a significant impact on their
overall confidence, including their spending habits. It reminds us that a
depressed stock market can exert a substantial negative force on the overall
economic picture."
Methodology
The Decision Analyst Economic Index is based on a monthly Internet survey of
several thousand households balanced by gender, age, and geography. The survey
is conducted during the last 10 days of each month, delivering a snapshot of
current U.S. economic activity, as seen through the eyes of representative
consumers. The Index has a margin of error of plus or minus three percent.
About Decision Analyst
Decision Analyst, Inc. is a leading international marketing research and
marketing consulting firm specializing in advertising testing, strategy
research, new product development, and advanced modeling for marketing decision
optimization. Decision Analyst also operates American Consumer Opinion� Online,
one of the world's largest Internet consumer opinion panels, with nearly four
million participants (www.acop.com).
Decision Analyst is a leading international marketing research and marketing
consulting firm specializing in advertising testing, strategy research, new
product development, and advanced modeling for marketing decision optimization.
For additional information contact:
Cristi Allen
Publicity
Email: callen@decisionanalyst.com
Phone: 1.800.ANALYSIS (262.5974)
Address: 604 Avenue H East
Arlington, TX 76011
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