The Institute for Health Policy (IHP), an independent research institute in Sri Lanka, reported a modest increase of 4 points in the Index of Consumer Sentiment (ICS) for December 2023.
The ICS, considered a comprehensive measure reflecting public perceptions of both personal economic status and the national economy, rose to 21 points.
The IHP sources disclosed to ZiraDaily that the Index of Consumer Expectations (ICE), a forward-looking component of the ICS, increased by 5 points to 26, while the Index of Current Conditions (ICC), which gauges current perceptions, saw a 4-point uptick, reaching 15 points.
Despite the slight improvement, the IHP emphasized that all three indices remain in pessimistic territory.
These consumer confidence indices are derived from the IHP's Sri Lanka Opinion Tracker Survey (SLOTS), a comprehensive tool that monitors public sentiment and provides insights into political voting intent and candidate favorability. According to the IHP, indices below 50 indicate net pessimism.
The IHP's Consumer Confidence Indices are based on 522 interviews conducted in December 2023. Over the period from October 21, 2021, to December 31, 2023, a total of 14,245 adults were surveyed. The estimates are adjusted to ensure representation across the national population, accounting for factors such as gender, age, ethnicity, and income level.
The SLOTS platform, launched in August 2021, utilizes a large national panel recruited through face-to-face interviews and random dialing. The daily tracking of public opinion and well-being has been instrumental in providing valuable insights, supported by numerous peer-reviewed scientific publications.
Initially designed to monitor public experiences during the recovery from COVID-19, the SLOTS platform has been extended to gauge public perceptions amid the ongoing economic crisis
