22% net optimism

↑+1pts on last week ↓-2pts on last year

10 Apr 2026

The flinch that started at the petrol pump is now a way of life

Fear of global conflict is at 71% and the country has responded by crouching, once again, shrinking lives, getting smaller. Looking ahead summer diaries are bare, holiday bookings are well down and what people want from Easter has contracted year on year.

People have stopped waiting for normal to return and started building around its absence

This is what happens when bounce-backs stop arriving. A tight month used to be a one-off, a pay rise used to mean more money and last-minute deals used to exist. People have stopped waiting for normal to return and started building around its absence. "Just living for today" is climbing while "planning my future" falls, and the gap between them is widening.

So the crouches are everywhere. Extra WFH days to save on the commute. Packed sandwiches for trips out. Loose ideas but no commitment, blaming weather for saying no. What fills the gap costs almost nothing: armchair sport is climbing, DIY, tidying the house. Brands need to meet us in flinch mode, not coax us to leap, but provide small, do-able steps forward.

Based on Konfidant's weekly survey and qualitative interviews. Base: 2,000 UK adults per week.