Consumers' mood 'remains dark'

After optimism peaked in the first quarter, Long Islanders were downbeat about their economic future more recently, according to a poll released Friday.

The Siena College Research Institute found consumer confidence during the April-June period was lower than at any time in the past two years. The survey was begun in 2008.

Though the recession ended in June 2009, Siena pollster Douglas Lonnstrom said high prices for gasoline and food, as well as persistent joblessness, have made residents worried about their immediate and long-term financial well-being. However, he also noted that people in Nassau and Suffolk counties were less pessimistic than those living in Binghamton, Utica, Albany and other cities.

Statewide, consumer confidence fell in April-June compared with the previous three months in six of the nine regions. The biggest drop was on Long Island, but it came after the January-March record optimism.

"We really appear to be stuck in an economic rut," Lonnstrom said. "Consumers buy what they need when they need it -- so long as it's on sale -- but collectively in the face of budget woes, unemployment concerns and worries about the future, the mood remains dark."

Retailers closely follow the consumer confidence indexes because they often indicate the willingness of shoppers to open their wallets.

The number of Long Islanders saying they planned to purchase a home, computer or furniture in the next six months was down from the first quarter. The furniture category saw the biggest decline. However, more people plan to purchase an automobile or start a major home improvement project.

The survey has a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points.

On the boardwalk in Long Beach Friday, some people complained about gas prices, even though they've fallen below $4 per gallon. Others said they feared being laid off.

"The economy is terrible," said Irene Rosen, 43, a teacher from Island Park. "They say the recession has ended, but I don't see it."

Separately Friday, The Conference Board in Manhattan released a survey showing top business leaders across the country are only marginally positive about the economic outlook. Chief executives' confidence "cooled considerably" in the April-June period from earlier this year, "a reflection of a sluggish U.S. economy," said Lynn Franco, director of the board's consumer research center. "Expectations are that this slow pace of economic growth will continue."

Thirty-three percent of CEOs said economic conditions are better than they were six months ago, down from 85 percent in the first quarter.

Prospective purchases

What Long Islanders said they would buy in the next six months:

CAR OR TRUCK: 11.8 percent, up 0.1 percentage points from January-March 2011 period

COMPUTER: 13.4 percent, down 0.5 points

FURNITURE: 17.4 percent, down 3.6 points

HOME: 3.1 percent, down 0.3 points

MAJOR HOME IMPROVEMENT: 16.9 percent, up 0.6 points

SOURCE: Siena College Research Institute