NEW YORK, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Consumer Sentiment Index released Friday by the University of Michigan (UM) Surveys of Consumers stood at 56.4 in the January 2026 survey, up from 52.9 in December but below last January's 71.7.
The Current Economic Conditions Index was 55.4, up from 50.4 in December but below last January's 75.1. The Index of Consumer Expectations came in at 57, up from 54.6 in December but below last January's 69.5.
Despite the improvement, national sentiment remains more than 20 percent below a year ago, as consumers continue to report pressures on their budgets stemming from high prices and the prospect of weakening incomes, said Joanne Hsu, director of the UM's Surveys of Consumers.
The survey found that overall, consumers remain focused on bread-and-butter issues, like the purchasing power of their incomes.
About 45 percent of consumers spontaneously mentioned that high prices were eroding their living standards, compared with 34 percent a year ago, and about 73 percent reported that it is a bad time to buy vehicles, with prices serving as the most-mentioned reason.
In January, about 62 percent of consumers expected unemployment to worsen in the year ahead, down slightly from December's 63 percent, the survey showed.
"At this time, consumers do not appear to be connecting foreign developments to their views of the economy," Hsu said. "A key exception is tariff policy, which was spontaneously mentioned by nearly 40 percent of consumers this month."
