The number of Americans making plans to take a vacation over the next six months has fallen to a 30-year low according to a leading business membership and research organization, The Conference Board. The Consumer Confidence Survey is based on a scientific, representative sample of five thousand U.S. households and found consumers ‘ inflation expectations now match the all-time high reached in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Consumers' assessment of current conditions weakened further in April. Consumers claiming business conditions are "bad" increased to 26.7 percent from 25.5 percent, while those claiming business conditions are "good" was virtually unchanged at 15.3 percent versus 15.6 last month. Consumers' appraisal of the labor market was also more negative than last month. The percentage of consumers saying jobs are "hard to get" rose to 27.9 percent from 24.5 percent, while those claiming jobs are "plentiful" declined to 16.6 percent from 19.2 percent.
You can learn more about the newest Consumer Confidence Survey results from the April, 2008 report by clicking here.