Consumer confidence in Queensland has rallied strongly during the quarter, but remains the weakest in Australia, according to the Sensis® Consumer Report released today.

The report, which interviewed 1,500 Australians nationwide during May, provides a quarterly analysis of the issues affecting the nation.

Report author Ms Christena Singh said Queensland’s consumer confidence indicator rose by 13 percentage points during the quarter, taking it to 33 per cent.

Overall, six in 10 Queenslanders are confident about their financial prospects over the next 12 months, while three in ten are worried.

“We have not seen consumer confidence this strong in Queensland since February 2008, when the indicator was at 47 per cent.

“However, Queensland consumer confidence is the weakest in Australia and six percentage points below the national average,” Ms Singh said.

Employment is the key driver of consumer confidence in Queensland at this current time.

“Having a secure job is the key reason for being confident, while unemployment and economic uncertainty are the key reasons for being worried,” she noted.

“It is interesting to note that while Queenslanders have become more optimistic about their financial prospects this quarter, they still believe the economy is contracting,” she explained.

More than six in 10 Queenslanders believe the economy is slowing, while one in ten feels it is growing.

However, the majority of Queenslanders appear to have so far escaped any major impact from the economic downturn.

“Less than four in 10 Queenslanders said they had been personally impacted by the current economic situation.”

Of those impacted, the major implications have been:

• A fall in superannuation;
• An increase in prices;
• A decrease in income, and
• A reduction in share portfolio value.

Ms Singh noted that the health system (7.20), and not economic issues, was overall the most pressing concern for Queenslanders.

The state of the economy (7.13) and increases in the cost of living (7.02) are Queenslanders’ next major concerns, followed by the education system (6.93), the drug problem (6.92) and unemployment (6.60).

Queensland’s drug problem is the only issue to rise during the quarter, up from 6.85 to 6.92.

Concerns about the environment fell from 7.11 to 6.46.

While there has been a decrease in concern about the environment, there was little change in Queenslanders’ willingness to pay more for energy costs.

Fifty-one per cent of Queenslanders said they were willing to pay more for energy costs under the Federal Government’s proposed Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme, up marginally from 50 per cent last quarter, but considerably lower than the 58 per cent recorded two quarters ago.

On average, Queenslanders are prepared to pay $143 more per year for energy costs, significantly up from $119 last quarter.

About Sensis

Sensis is Telstra's advertising business and Australia's leading directories information resource, helping Australians find, buy and sell. Sensis delivers innovative and integrated local search and digital marketing solutions via print, online, voice and mobile channels to connect Australians 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Sensis' powerful, multi-channel portfolio provides an unparalleled local information source incorporating the White Pages® and Yellow Pages® directories; the MediaSmart digital advertising business; the Whereis® digital mapping business; the Citysearch® entertainment and lifestyle website; the sensis.com.au search engine; the 1234 operator-assisted, premium voice information service; and the accommodation website gostay.com.au. Sensis is also a partner in some of China's most popular websites including real estate and home furnishings website, SouFun.com; auto websites Autohome.com and Che168.com; and digital devices websites IT168.com and PCPop.com.cn.