Consumer sentiment indicates growing optimism about economy

Florida consumers say they are feeling more upbeat about the economy in early 2026.

The consumer sentiment rating among Sunshine State residents for January increased to 77.2, up from 74.9 in December, according to the University of Florida (UF) Bureau of Economic and Business Research.

Hector H. Sandoval, Director of the UF Economic Analysis Program, said Sunshine State residents are feeling more confident about their personal economic situations.

“The increase in consumer sentiment at the start of the year reflects more optimistic views of current economic conditions among Floridians, driven primarily by improved assessments of personal finances and spending intentions,” Sandoval said.

Views of personal financial situations among Floridians increased to 73.4 in January, up from 68.7 in December, representing the largest jump in economic outlook last month. Floridians increasingly say now is a good time to buy a big-ticket household item, such as a refrigerator. That figure rose from 62 to 66.5 in January.

While optimism is increasing, Sandoval said there’s still some stubborn concern in Florida about broader economic issues facing the nation.

“January was marked by heightened economic uncertainty as trade tensions resurfaced, with renewed U.S. tariff threats and actions involving several major trading partners, including Europe, Canada, and South Korea. The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady following earlier cuts, signaling a cautious stance amid mixed economic signals,” Sandoval said.

To that end, Floridians are concerned about their personal financial situations a year from now, a metric that declined from 89.1 in December to 88.7 in January. Meanwhile, improved expectations over U.S. economic conditions in the next year increased from 76.6 to 78.6.

“Looking ahead, consumer sentiment may recover further, but this will depend in large part on a reduction in economic and policy uncertainty, which remains an important risk to sustained improvements in confidence,” Sandoval said.

The UF consumer sentiment survey was conducted from Dec. 1 until Jan. 29 among 364 Floridians via cell phones.