Confidence results among consumers and businesses mixed for March 2026 quarter

The first quarter of 2026, which covers January to March, showed Jamaica in recovery mode after Hurricane Melissa, according to the latest Business and Consumer Confidence Survey.

Consumers are feeling more confident than they did immediately after the storm, but sentiment has not returned to Q1 2025 levels.

Businesses, however, are more cautious, with confidence down as they continue to deal with weaker profits, higher costs, and longer-term recovery concerns.

This as Market Research Services reported on the JCC/GK Capital Business and Consumer Confidence Indices on Tuesday at the Terra Nova Hotel in St Andrew.

Head of Market Research Services, pollster Don Anderson, reported that consumer confidence improved by 5.7 per cent over the fourth quarter of 2025.

This contrasts with a sharp decline of 17.5 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2025, largely attributed to the severe economic disruption caused by Hurricane Melissa in late October

While consumer confidence rose, business confidence fell by 6.5 per cent in Q1 2026.

Anderson explained that businesses tend to think more long-term and react more slowly than consumers.

He says businesses recognise that the economy is moving out of the immediate post-Melissa shock, but they also see recovery as a longer process.

neville.graham@gleanerjm.com

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