Finder Consumer Positivity Index

Tracking how Australian consumers feel about the economy and their financial lives.

Saranga Sudarshan's headshot
Joshua Godfrey's headshot

By

Saranga Sudarshan

&

Joshua Godfrey

Edited by

Angus Kidman

Updated

Fact checked

Key takeaways

  • Finder’s positivity index fell by 9.5% in May 2026 to 93.19 points.
  • The decrease in the index was mainly due to savings and general economic sentiment

The decrease in the index was driven largely by deteriorating general economic sentiment and weaker savings. Happiness among Australians fell 6%, while financial stress rose 3%, reflecting a deepening sense of strain on household budgets. Confidence around salary dropped 15%, and optimism about continued employment fell 8%. Sentiment around monthly living expenses declined 9%, and positive feelings about household debt levels dropped 13%. Confidence in the ability to afford a home fell 10%. The share of Australians expecting a pay rise in the next 12 months edged down 2%. On a more positive note, the proportion expecting a recession fell by 3%.

Savings weakened this month. Average monthly savings fell 8%, while cash savings declined 5%.

Housing sentiment deteriorated. The share of Australians who believe now is a good time to buy property fell 8%, while the proportion struggling to meet home loan repayments rose 3%, and those struggling to pay rent increased 5%.

The share of Australians who said they could not manage their budget without a credit card rose 3%, while use of buy now, pay later services fell 2%, and the share planning a holiday in the next 12 months dropped sharply by 10%.

What is the Finder Positivity Index?

Finder's Positivity Index is a monthly measure of Australian consumer sentiment, and a useful way to gauge the financial health of Australian consumers at a glance. It provides a snapshot of how Australians feel about their current capacity to earn a decent income; to spend enough to maintain their standard of living; and to save for the future. The index also provides an insight into where the economy as a whole is going in the short term.

The index is collated from over 50,000 responses to Finder's Consumer Sentiment Tracker since May 2019. It is produced by analysing data collected across five broad categories:

  1. General economic sentiment (65%)
  2. Housing (15%)
  3. Savings (10%)
  4. Credit card usage (5%)
  5. Shopping behaviour (5%)

Each category is measured with survey responses on how Australians feel about a recession; their wages; wellbeing; their ability to pay for housing; their living costs; use of buy now pay later; and how much they save per month. The final index is a synthesis of these consumer perspectives into a single index to express current and near-term consumer sentiment. This synthesis involves creating separate indexes for each data point with a baseline of 50, then calculating a weighted sum as a final index.

Angus Kidman's headshot
To make sure you get accurate and helpful information, this guide has been edited by Angus Kidman as part of our fact-checking process.
Saranga Sudarshan's headshot
Analyst

Saranga Sudarshan is an experienced analyst specialising in consumer finance research, data analysis and market intelligence. Formerly a research analyst at Frost & Sullivan, he holds a PhD in political philosophy from the University of St Andrews, as well as a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Philosophy from the University of Sydney. Saranga was an Analyst at Finder from 2022 to 2024. See full bio

Saranga's expertise
Saranga has written 20 Finder guides across topics including:
  • Personal finance
  • Data analysis
Joshua Godfrey's headshot
Co-written by

Senior Insights Analyst

Joshua Godfrey is a Senior Insights Analyst at Finder, specialising in data analysis and identifying emerging trends through the Consumer Sentiment Tracker, a monthly survey on Australians' financial attitudes. He has authored Finder’s 2024 Wealth Building Report and 2025 First Home Buyer Report which have been widely quoted in top media outlets like the AFR and news.com.au. With a Bachelor of Business in Finance and Marketing and a Diploma of Creative Intelligence from UTS, Josh is passionate about uncovering patterns in consumer sentiment and exploring how they influence the future of finance. See full bio

Joshua's expertise
Joshua has written 42 Finder guides across topics including:
  • Data and analytics
  • Money trends
  • Data journalism
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