Finance
Irish consumer sentiment improves to nine-month high
Published by Global Banking and Finance Review
Posted on January 27, 2026
2 min readLast updated: January 27, 2026
Quick Summary
Irish consumer sentiment improved in January, reaching a nine-month high, though it remains below the long-term average, indicating ongoing economic concerns.
Irish Consumer Sentiment Reaches Highest Level in Nine Months
Overview of Irish Consumer Sentiment
DUBLIN, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Irish consumer sentiment improved to a nine-month high in January but the index remained far below its long-term average, a survey showed on Tuesday.
The Credit Union Consumer Sentiment Survey climbed to 64.7 in January from 61.2 in December, with the authors noting that the measure tends to rise in the first month of the year.
Consumer confidence is above April's two-year low of 58.7 at the height of U.S. tariff concerns but much lower than both the reading of 74.9 a year ago and the long-term survey average of 83.5.
Survey Results and Trends
There were more negative than positive responses to all five elements of the survey and all five were weaker than a year ago.
Consumer Confidence Analysis
"Irish consumers may be detecting at least tentative signs of a slowdown in living cost inflation of late," the survey's authors said in a statement.
But the "still downbeat tone of sentiment suggests consumers view this as some degree of easing in current pressures rather than signalling any clear gains in household spending power," they added.
(Writing by Conor Humphries; Editing by Catarina Demony)
Key Takeaways
- •Irish consumer sentiment rose to 64.7 in January.
- •The index is still below the long-term average of 83.5.
- •Sentiment remains lower than the previous year's 74.9.
- •Consumers notice a potential slowdown in inflation.
- •Survey results show more negative than positive responses.
Frequently Asked Questions about Irish consumer sentiment improves to nine-month high
1What is consumer sentiment?
Consumer sentiment refers to the overall attitude of consumers toward the economy and their personal financial situation, often measured through surveys.
2What is a consumer confidence index?
A consumer confidence index is a statistical measure that gauges the degree of optimism that consumers feel about the overall state of the economy and their personal financial situation.
3What is inflation?
Inflation is the rate at which the general level of prices for goods and services rises, eroding purchasing power.
4What is GDP?
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is the total monetary value of all goods and services produced within a country's borders in a specific time period.
