Consumer confidence in Netherlands

Consumer confidence is a sentiment index measuring how Dutch households view the general economic situation and their own financial position, both current and expected. It is a leading indicator of private consumption.

Compiled by the statistics office CBS from a monthly survey of a representative sample of households, with questions on the national economy, family finances, the climate for buying and the capacity to save. The index nets optimistic responses against pessimistic ones.

The higher confidence runs, the more likely households are to lift their spending. As consumption is the largest component of GDP, it serves as a useful leading indicator of where the Dutch economy is heading.

Being a survey, it is subject to sampling error and to the limits of sentiment measures; moreover, stated confidence does not always translate into actual spending.