{"id":20182,"date":"2026-05-09T09:33:13","date_gmt":"2026-05-09T09:33:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/u-s-consumer-sentiment-falls-to-new-low-in-may\/"},"modified":"2026-05-09T09:33:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-09T09:33:13","slug":"u-s-consumer-sentiment-falls-to-new-low-in-may","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/u-s-consumer-sentiment-falls-to-new-low-in-may\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S. consumer sentiment falls to new low in May"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p><span>Photo taken on May 8, 2026 shows the gas price at a gas station in New York, the United States. The U.S. Consumer Sentiment Index fell to 48.2 in May 2026, according to a preliminary reading released Friday by the University of Michigan (UM) Surveys of Consumers, down from the final reading of 49.8 in April 2026. (Xinhua\/Zhang Fengguo)<\/span><\/p>\n<p>NEW YORK, May 8 (Xinhua) &mdash; The U.S. Consumer Sentiment Index fell to 48.2 in May 2026, according to a preliminary reading released Friday by the University of Michigan (UM) Surveys of Consumers, down from the final reading of 49.8 in April 2026.<\/p>\n<p>The reading fell to a new all-time low in May as surging gas prices due to the Iran war fuel inflation worries.<\/p>\n<p>The preliminary reading of the Current Economic Conditions Index fell to 47.8 in May, down from the final reading of 52.5 in April and below last May&rsquo;s 58.9. The Index of Consumer Expectations was 48.5, slightly up from the final reading of 48.1 in April and up from last May&rsquo;s 47.9.<\/p>\n<p>The survey found that inflation worries were the primary driver of the continued downward trend in consumer attitudes.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;About one-third of consumers spontaneously mentioned gasoline prices and about 30 percent mentioned tariffs,&rdquo; said UM economist Joanne Hsu, director of the surveys. &ldquo;Taken together, consumers continue to feel buffeted by cost pressures, led by soaring prices at the pump.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div class=\"internal-linking-related-contents\"><a href=\"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/12-weeks-jail-for-school-it-support-technician-who-took-upskirt-videos-of-teachers\/\" class=\"template-1\"><span class=\"cta\">News :<\/span><span class=\"postTitle\">&lt;div&gt;12 weeks' jail for school IT support technician who took upskirt videos of teachers&lt;\/div&gt;<\/span><\/a><\/div><p>Though the expectations index inched up, current conditions fell back about 9 percent, owing to a surge in concerns about high prices both for personal finances and buying conditions for major purchases, said Hsu.<\/p>\n<p>Year-ahead inflation expectations softened a bit from 4.7 percent in April to 4.5 percent in May, she said, adding that the reading still substantially exceeds the 3.4-percent reading seen in February prior to the start of the Iran war.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Middle East developments are unlikely to meaningfully boost sentiment until supply disruptions have been fully resolved and energy prices fall,&rdquo; said Hsu. <span>&#9632;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" id=\"2xSQW8gIKcPihNi2\" src=\"https:\/\/english.news.cn\/20260509\/e8f510029ee6483186a63b6a63ebe42f\/02dd2faba30142888e165076b29e138f.jpg\" data-material-id=\"26050914142528\" data-name=\"202605097f95a5e85a2b4727bebef50dc8614cc4.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>A customer verifies a receipt at a store in New York, the United States, May 8, 2026. The U.S. Consumer Sentiment Index fell to 48.2 in May 2026, according to a preliminary reading released Friday by the University of Michigan (UM) Surveys of Consumers, down from the final reading of 49.8 in April 2026. (Xinhua\/Zhang Fengguo)<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" id=\"5gXFl5fuYljDJ6FE\" src=\"https:\/\/english.news.cn\/20260509\/e8f510029ee6483186a63b6a63ebe42f\/c1715bce68024abeaaa7c008a1f2a567.jpg\" data-material-id=\"26050900015222\" data-name=\"202605097f9e2383d33b4f5ea009326b1e008b19.jpg\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"internal-linking-related-contents\"><a href=\"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/migrant-acquitted-in-first-trial-over-us-border-military-zones\/\" class=\"template-1\"><span class=\"cta\">News :<\/span><span class=\"postTitle\">Migrant acquitted in first trial over US border military zones<\/span><\/a><\/div><p>Customers check price at a store in New York, the United States, May 8, 2026. The U.S. Consumer Sentiment Index fell to 48.2 in May 2026, according to a preliminary reading released Friday by the University of Michigan (UM) Surveys of Consumers, down from the final reading of 49.8 in April 2026. (Xinhua\/Zhang Fengguo)<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" id=\"A4gCQELLEKeYmT42\" src=\"https:\/\/english.news.cn\/20260509\/e8f510029ee6483186a63b6a63ebe42f\/60f366cdf41245da996e104b08016af1.jpg\" data-material-id=\"26050901011463\" data-name=\"202605094efb948367754b2aa9fb68908713f310.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>Photo taken on May 8, 2026 shows a discount shop in New York, the United States. The U.S. Consumer Sentiment Index fell to 48.2 in May 2026, according to a preliminary reading released Friday by the University of Michigan (UM) Surveys of Consumers, down from the final reading of 49.8 in April 2026. (Xinhua\/Zhang Fengguo)<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" id=\"AC5Bb2g2DOYSmKXP\" src=\"https:\/\/english.news.cn\/20260509\/e8f510029ee6483186a63b6a63ebe42f\/18adc8a0d5b84855ad1e1fed5750da5c.jpg\" data-material-id=\"26050915100211\" data-name=\"202605096a0e4ffce4ff4aafaac97d972d96a76b.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>Customers shop at a store in New York, the United States, May 8, 2026. The U.S. Consumer Sentiment Index fell to 48.2 in May 2026, according to a preliminary reading released Friday by the University of Michigan (UM) Surveys of Consumers, down from the final reading of 49.8 in April 2026. (Xinhua\/Zhang Fengguo)<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" id=\"pvTpU611aKbgkjHd\" src=\"https:\/\/english.news.cn\/20260509\/e8f510029ee6483186a63b6a63ebe42f\/a5c72da73f1a43db99f33f8d88069f8d.jpg\" data-material-id=\"26050912372101\" data-name=\"20260509adeec79f99da44ad9c95b528f18ceaa7.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>Customers shop at a store in New York, the United States, May 8, 2026. The U.S. Consumer Sentiment Index fell to 48.2 in May 2026, according to a preliminary reading released Friday by the University of Michigan (UM) Surveys of Consumers, down from the final reading of 49.8 in April 2026. (Xinhua\/Zhang Fengguo)<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" id=\"jxFkvhHVDIbhNLjz\" src=\"https:\/\/english.news.cn\/20260509\/e8f510029ee6483186a63b6a63ebe42f\/cfc612eb6e6b4a3a8aafdeba21485d07.jpg\" data-material-id=\"26050913217693\" data-name=\"2026050919e43a2a2f2c4bd5b57929d5a966cfa9.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>A customer checks price at a store in New York, the United States, May 8, 2026. The U.S. Consumer Sentiment Index fell to 48.2 in May 2026, according to a preliminary reading released Friday by the University of Michigan (UM) Surveys of Consumers, down from the final reading of 49.8 in April 2026. (Xinhua\/Zhang Fengguo)<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" id=\"6OrPFXDfcX8XQ0Un\" src=\"https:\/\/english.news.cn\/20260509\/e8f510029ee6483186a63b6a63ebe42f\/b2f0119ae1b14b358db231d1bfe26355.jpg\" data-material-id=\"26050910889697\" data-name=\"20260509cf47c21caa4d4be982a0c5fcc6f2432a.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>A worker refuels a car for a customer at a gas station in New York, the United States, May 8, 2026. The U.S. Consumer Sentiment Index fell to 48.2 in May 2026, according to a preliminary reading released Friday by the University of Michigan (UM) Surveys of Consumers, down from the final reading of 49.8 in April 2026. (Xinhua\/Zhang Fengguo)<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" id=\"p1QsBRTIm6tLHeiq\" src=\"https:\/\/english.news.cn\/20260509\/e8f510029ee6483186a63b6a63ebe42f\/65e5dd25dba14164a08e416d6c6c927a.jpg\" data-material-id=\"26050911503748\" data-name=\"202605090dbf9fbea57449899992113b0fe1078e.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>Customers shop at a store in New York, the United States, May 8, 2026. The U.S. Consumer Sentiment Index fell to 48.2 in May 2026, according to a preliminary reading released Friday by the University of Michigan (UM) Surveys of Consumers, down from the final reading of 49.8 in April 2026. (Xinhua\/Zhang Fengguo)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><sub>U.S. consumer sentiment falls to new low in May<\/sub><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Photo taken on May 8, 2026 shows the gas price at a gas station in New York, the United States. The U.S. Consumer Sentiment Index fell to 48.2 in May 2026, according to a preliminary reading released Friday by the University of Michigan (UM) Surveys of Consumers, down from the final reading of 49.8 in&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"more-link-wrap\"><a href=\"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/u-s-consumer-sentiment-falls-to-new-low-in-may\/\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &ldquo;U.S. consumer sentiment falls to new low in May&rdquo;<\/span> &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20183,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20182","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20182","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20182"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20182\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20183"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20182"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20182"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jobuzo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20182"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}