DUBAI — Overall consumer confidence in Dubai remained robust during the second quarter of 2012, driven largely by a positive outlook on personal finance and strong optimism on job prospects, according to the quarterly consumer confidence index (CCI) published by the Department of Economic Development.



Indicating that Dubai and its economy continues to invoke positive sentiment and trust among investors, CCI remained at a higher than average level of 122 percentage points during April-June 2012.



Personal finance showed to be on strong footing with 80 percent of consumers positive in their outlook for the next 12 months, while 75 per cent expressed optimism on their current financial situation.



Improvement in current employment situation is also anticipated with 70 percent of the consumers confident of better job prospects over the next 12 months.



Within the private sector, 71 percent of the employees are optimistic about job prospects and 78 percent are positive about their personal finance.



Perceptions on the state of economy also showed a clear improvement during the second quarter of 2012 with 72 percent of the consumers expressing positive outlook for the next 12 months.



Among government employees, 83 per cent are optimistic about personal finances and 56 per cent on the state of economy for the coming 12 months.



However, the state of economy continues to be the biggest consumer concern, with political stability in the Arab world and job security being the other major concerns in that order.



“The CCI is the result of quarterly consumer confidence surveys conducted among consumers to gauge their perceptions on local job prospects, personal finances and the suitability of making purchases, all over the next 12 months. The initiative aims to evaluate consumer impressions on the state of the economy and the key drivers of consumer behaviour,” said Omar Bushahab, CEO of the Commercial Compliance and Consumer Protection Division, DED. — Agencies