The Consumer Confidence Index was up three and a half points, from 86.5 in February to 90 in May, Decima Research Inc. and The Investors Group announced.

Quebec leads the way, with a confidence level of 95.6, while Ontario is close behind at 93.5. Atlantic Canada saw the biggest improvement, with a 6.6-point jump to 90.0.

British Columbia has the lowest confidence rating at 79.9. Alberta (87.0), Manitoba-Saskatchewan (85.2) were down 0.3 and 0.2 points respectively. Confidence rose with household income and dropped with age -- but all Canadian demographic groups recorded a higher level of confidence during the last quarter. Also up from three to five points was the Consumer Expectation Index, a sub-section of the survey that looks at future prospects.

"This latest survey suggests that the economy and personal finances are becoming less of a concern for most Canadians, allowing them to turn their attention to other interests and issues", says Dr. Keith Neuman of Decima Research.

The Decima Express survey was conducted by telephone with 2,017 Canadians between May 17 and May 26, 2002. The sample size is considered to be accurate for the population within plus or minus 2.2 per cent 19 times out of 20. You can find Decima on the web at www.decima.ca.

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