UK consumer confidence boosted by heatwave, World Cup
By Benjamin Chiou
Date: Friday 24 Jul 2026
(Sharecast News) - UK consumer confidence picked up in July, according to a GfK survey, with the hot weather and England's performance at the World Cup attributed to improved sentiment.
The GfK Consumer Confidence Barometer, published with the Nuremberg Institute for Market Decisions (NIM), rose six points over the month to -17, marking the largest monthly increase in confidence since November 2023.
"Hot on the heels of the summer heatwaves, July has delivered a wave of optimism," said Neil Bellamy, consumer insights director at GfK.
An improving economic outlook primarily drove the increase from June. The gauge measuring consumer opinions about the economic situation over the past 12 months rose 10 points to -39, while the view on the future 12 months gained 8 points to -28.
Meanwhile, the major purchase index, which tracks people's motivations to make large spending decisions, also rose 8 points to -12.
"There were also hopes at the start of July that the Middle East conflict might stabilise and bring UK fuel prices down. The feel-good factor of the FIFA World Cup will have reinforced sentiment too," Bellamy said.
However, he pointed out that, despite July's improvement, the overall headline index score remains within the narrow range seen since the end of 2023.
"It is a decade since the headline score was in positive territory. For the 'Burnham bounce' to be sustainable and boost consumer confidence, it will require consistent delivery by the refreshed UK government against deep cost-of-living challenges and persistent low economic growth," he said.
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