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Amidst the current political and financial climate, understanding how consumers are feeling–and spending–is pivotal information for brands, advertisers, and media partners looking to cut through the noise and reach their most aligned audiences. The CivicScience Consumer Financial Health Index (CFHI) offers real-time data on how consumers feel about their personal financial situations in response to changing economic conditions and events. This empowers key stakeholders to stay ahead of spending changes, dial in on messaging, and thrive in an uncertain market.
After a dip in August, consumer financial health saw a modest uptick in September, rising 0.69 points. The increase rippled across almost all age groups–only Gen Z continued to see a decline. Meanwhile, Gen X led the positive momentum, with Millennials not far behind. Despite the slight rebound, the CFHI still ranks 1.69 points lower than it was at this time last year.
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Income Outlook Leads Index Uptick
A breakdown of the index’s components highlights the indicators leading the slight turnaround. Almost all indicators saw an increase, led by a 2.24 point uptick in income outlook. Debt outlook saw an increase of 0.69 points–the first positive growth in the monthly outlook since January 2025–as did savings outlook. Meanwhile, investing saw a modest increase of 0.07 points. Although credit outlook decreased by 0.25 points, that slight decline wasn’t enough to outweigh the otherwise positive trend.
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September brought about a noteworthy rebound in consumer financial outlook, with nearly every component of the index going positive. Even though debt outlook made a rare monthly gain as holiday shopping starts to ramp up, some consumers expect to use Buy Now, Pay Later options to pay for gifts, hinting that this may shift as the holiday season gets closer. That said, uncertainty remains, meaning these gains may be easily wiped away as we’ve seen so far this year. As a result, brands, retailers, and advertisers will need to remain agile as consumer feelings shift on a dime.
