Our monthly look at the spending, saving and borrowing intentions of Irish consumers.

1. 1Economic Recovery Index
Economic Recovery Index
An Amárach Research Briefing
March 2014
© Amárach Research

2. 2Economic Recovery Index
Spring is in the air…
Last month we asked whether the rain had put
a dampener on the recovery in February? The
answer is apparently ‘yes’, because our
Economic Recovery Index has bounced
back to a new record level in March 2014.
The good news is that a record percentage of
consumers are seeing clear signs of recovery,
but… most are using the economic fair wind to
sort themselves out financially – paying down
debts is a bigger priority than this time last
year.
Still, it’s a better picture than a year ago, never
mind five years ago: look out for our special 5th
anniversary report on the Economic
Recovery Index next month.

3. 3Economic Recovery Index
The Emotional Recovery
We have been reporting our monthly
Economic Recovery Index since April 2009.
We set out nearly five years ago to assess
the psychological impact of the recession and
to chart our ‘emotional progress’ towards
recovery alongside our ‘economic progress’.
This report summarises our Economic
Recovery Index results from April 2009 to
March 2014.
The most recent fieldwork was conducted
during 7th-14th March 2014 inclusive.
The full data series is on our website – if you
want us to conduct additional analyses (by
brands etc) then feel free to get in touch.

4. 4Economic Recovery Index
Using the answers to the question on ‘stages of recovery’ we have created the Economic
Recovery Index, which ranges from 0 to 100 (0 = deep recession; 100 = back to peak).
Our Index has reach a new record of 34.7 in March 2014, the highest in five years:
The Economic Recovery Index
Source: Amárach Research, March 2014
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
Apr'09
Jun
July
Aug
Sept
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan'10
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
June
July
Aug
Sept
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan'11
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
June
July
Aug
Sept
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan'12
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
June
July
Aug
Sept
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan'13
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
June
July
Aug
Sept
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan'14
Feb
Mar

5. 5Economic Recovery Index
A Matter of Measurement
Feb ’14: 21% Mar ’14: 19%
Feb ’14: 39% Mar ’14: 34%
Feb ’14: 33% Mar ’14: 36%
Feb ’14: 7% Mar ’14: 10%
Feb ’14: 0% Mar ’14: 1%
Every month we survey a representative, online sample of 1,000 adults and ask them to tell us
which one statement ‘best describes the economic situation in Ireland right now’ (listed below)
The percentage thinking ‘things are getting worse’ is the lowest since we began:

6. 6Economic Recovery Index
ERI Summary Tables I
Which one statement ‘best describes the economic situation in Ireland right now’?
% choosing each statement:
%
The economic
situation in
Ireland is
getting worse
The economic
situation is bad
but has
stabilized
The economic
situation is bad
but showing a
few signs of
improvement
The economic
situation is
getting better
and showing
clear signs of
improvement
The economic
situation is
good and
almost fully
recovered
Economic
Recovery
Index
Mar-10 36 35 27 2 0 23.5
Mar-11 48 30 20 2 0 19.2
Mar-12 43 29 24 4 0 22.3
Mar-13 41 29 25 5 0 24.0
Feb-14 21 39 33 7 0 31.7
Mar-14 19 34 36 10 1 34.7

7. 7Economic Recovery Index
ERI Summary Tables II
% agree strongly/slightly with selected statements:
%
Ireland will be
through the
worst of the
recession in
12 months
time
I feel I am
financially
comfortable
enough to
make it
through the
recession
I am optimistic
in spite of the
current
economic
situation
Right now it
seems like the
recession is
affecting other
people more
than it is
affecting me
Mar-10 42 43 54 55
Mar-11 25 36 48 47
Mar-12 30 40 50 48
Mar-13 30 40 44 47
Feb-14 38 41 52 47
Mar-14 37 40 49 45

8. 8Economic Recovery Index
ERI Summary Tables III
% agree strongly/slightly with selected statements:
%
I am more
relaxed about
spending
money than I
was a few
months ago
I am saving a
lot more than
before
because of the
recession
My main
financial priority
is to pay off my
debts as quickly
as possible
I would be
happy to
borrow money
from a bank if I
need to
Mar-10 18 25 61 30
Mar-11 13 23 58 23
Mar-12 18 29 55 24
Mar-13 19 27 53 25
Feb-14 22 25 58 24
Mar-14 23 24 58 26

9. 9Economic Recovery Index
ERI Summary Tables IV
% agree strongly/slightly with selected statements:
%
I always buy
the lowest
price products
or services
I am always on
the lookout for
opportunities to
switch to
cheaper
suppliers
I have more
choice than
before when it
comes to
products and
services
I always buy
Irish when I
can
Apr-13 57 71 52 52
May-13 58 69 54 54
Jun-13 55 70 55 51
Jul-13 56 70 52 53
Aug-13 57 70 53 53
Sep-13 59 72 53 54
Oct-13 58 69 52 51
Nov-13 56 69 55 51
Dec-13 54 68 54 53
Jan-14 59 74 56 54
Feb-14 56 70 57 52
Mar-14 57 68 56 48

10. 10Economic Recovery Index
Financial Resilience
% of Irish adults who agree/disagree with the statement (by sex, age, class, Dublin):
“I feel I am financially comfortable enough to make it through the recession”
Source: Amárach Research, March 2014
March 2014 TOTAL Male Female 15-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55+ Dublin
ABC1
F50+
C2DE
F50-
Weighted Sample 1000 494 506 169 223 187 156 265 279 477 523
Strongly Agree 10% 12% 7% 9% 11% 6% 9% 12% 13% 13% 7%
Slightly Agree 31% 29% 32% 29% 28% 26% 25% 40% 31% 40% 22%
Neither/Nor 15% 16% 14% 14% 20% 15% 11% 14% 15% 12% 18%
Slightly Disagree 23% 22% 24% 29% 20% 28% 27% 16% 20% 21% 25%
Strongly Disagree 19% 19% 19% 13% 20% 24% 26% 15% 18% 13% 25%

11. 11Economic Recovery Index
Spending Power
% of Irish adults who agree/disagree with the statement (by sex, age, class, Dublin):
“I am more relaxed about spending money than I was a few months ago”
Source: Amárach Research, March 2014
March 2014 TOTAL Male Female 15-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55+ Dublin
ABC1
F50+
C2DE
F50-
Weighted Sample 1000 494 506 169 223 187 156 265 279 477 523
Strongly Agree 7% 10% 5% 13% 10% 7% 4% 5% 10% 10% 5%
Slightly Agree 15% 16% 14% 14% 21% 14% 13% 14% 17% 17% 14%
Neither/Nor 19% 20% 17% 16% 15% 23% 18% 21% 24% 21% 16%
Slightly Disagree 24% 23% 26% 30% 22% 23% 21% 26% 21% 25% 24%
Strongly Disagree 33% 29% 36% 25% 29% 31% 44% 34% 27% 25% 39%

12. 12Economic Recovery Index
Indebted
% of Irish adults who agree/disagree with the statement (by sex, age, class, Dublin):
“I would be happy to borrow money from a bank if I needed to”
Source: Amárach Research, March 2014
March 2014 TOTAL Male Female 15-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55+ Dublin
ABC1
F50+
C2DE
F50-
Weighted Sample 1000 494 506 169 223 187 156 265 279 477 523
Strongly Agree 6% 7% 5% 5% 8% 7% 6% 6% 8% 7% 6%
Slightly Agree 20% 21% 18% 18% 25% 22% 18% 15% 24% 21% 18%
Neither/Nor 14% 17% 11% 10% 20% 16% 10% 13% 15% 14% 14%
Slightly Disagree 23% 22% 25% 32% 22% 24% 22% 20% 24% 25% 22%
Strongly Disagree 33% 30% 37% 29% 22% 30% 42% 43% 26% 28% 38%

13. 13Economic Recovery Index
The Mood of the Nation 1
Did you experience any of these feelings a lot of the day yesterday?
% saying Yes: April 2009 to March 2014
Source: Amárach Research, March 2014
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
Apr'09
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sept
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan'10
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
June
July
Aug
Sept
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan'11
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
June
July
Aug
Sept
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan'12
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
June
July
Aug
Sept
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan'13
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
June
July
Aug
Sept
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan'14
Feb
Mar
Enjoyment Happiness Stress Worry

14. 14Economic Recovery Index
The Mood of the Nation 2
Did you experience any of these feelings a lot of the day yesterday?
% saying Yes: April 2009 to March 2014
Source: Amárach Research, March 2014
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
Apr'09
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sept
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan'10
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
June
July
Aug
Sept
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan'11
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
June
July
Aug
Sept
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan'12
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
June
July
Aug
Sept
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan'13
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
June
July
Aug
Sept
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan'14
Feb
Mar
Anxiety Sadness Pain Anger

15. 15Economic Recovery Index
Changing Moods
Source: Amárach Research, March 2014
March 2014 TOTAL Male Female 15-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55+ Dublin
ABC1
F50+
C2DE
F50-
Weighted Sample 1000 494 506 169 223 187 156 265 279 477 523
Enjoyment 55% 54% 56% 54% 47% 46% 55% 67% 55% 57% 52%
Happiness 54% 50% 58% 59% 50% 50% 50% 58% 50% 55% 52%
Stress 42% 38% 46% 54% 48% 49% 39% 26% 42% 43% 41%
Worry 37% 32% 42% 35% 46% 38% 39% 29% 36% 35% 38%
Anxiety 30% 26% 33% 34% 34% 32% 33% 19% 30% 32% 27%
Boredom 28% 27% 30% 43% 37% 27% 24% 16% 33% 30% 27%
Physical Pain 25% 24% 26% 21% 22% 25% 24% 31% 24% 24% 26%
Sadness 22% 20% 25% 28% 23% 26% 22% 16% 22% 24% 20%
Anger 19% 20% 17% 19% 23% 29% 16% 9% 17% 18% 20%
Fear 11% 10% 11% 15% 14% 12% 9% 5% 13% 13% 9%
Did you experience any of these feelings a lot of the day yesterday?
% saying Yes: March 2014

16. Drivers & Drinking

17. Drivers & Drinking
we ask the right questions
so you get the right answers
Image: http://yourawakenedself.com/tag/jacob-nordby/

18. Trends Report
Call us on 01 410 5200 if you want maximize
the prize in 2014:
e. info@amarach.com
w. www.amarach.com
b. www.amarach.com/blog
t. twitter.com/AmarachResearch
For more on the ERI see:
http://www.amarach.com/resources/economic-recovery-index.htm