FRANKLYWNOW - Numbers put Anchorage economic confidence level at new low

The Anchorage Economic Development Corporation (AEDC) has released new numbers about consumer confidence in the Anchorage economy. AEDC CEO Bill Popp says the numbers are the lowest they’ve seen since they started taking the surveys in 2010.

Popp said 350 Anchorage households were contacted by phone and asked how optimistic they felt about the Anchorage economy now and in the future, as well as their own personal finances.

Popp said on a scale of one to 100, the optimism level was 50.3, still slightly on the positive side but about 10 points less than this time last year. He said uncertainty about what will happen with the state budget is a driving factor in the new found pessimism.

“Are there going to be new taxes?” Popp asked. “Is there going to be a reduction in the Permanent Fund? Are there going to be effects on the economy based on the state’s decisions, and of course, where is the oil industry headed?”

Popp said the numbers could change when residents are surveyed again in July, but not necessarily for the better.

“If the state government comes to an agreement that lays out a course that gives consumers confidence on knowing what the future’s going to be, depending on what those solutions are it could help to soften this pessimism a little bit or it could add to the pessimism,” he said.

AEDC will release new survey results on consumer confidence on July 27. Popp said they’ll release a new three-year outlook for the Anchorage economy on that date as well.

KTVA 11’s Lauren Maxwell can be reached via email or on Twitter.

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