The New York State Index of Consumer Sentiment was 65.6 in the third quarter of 2026, down 0.9 points from the second quarter, according to the Siena Research Institute. The state index was 17.5 points above the national index of 48.1, which declined 1.4 points. New York\u2019s current conditions index fell 0.8 points to 61.0, while the measure of future expectations fell 1.0 point to 68.6.<\/p>\n
New York\u2019s overall index remained below the breakeven point between optimism and pessimism for the seventh consecutive quarter. Compared with the third quarter of 2025, the overall index fell from 68.3 to 65.6. The current conditions index fell from 67.8 to 61.0, while the future expectations index was unchanged at 68.6.<\/p>\n
Consumer buying plans for major purchases were mostly steady from the second quarter. Plans to buy an automobile were 20.6%, down 0.2 percentage points, and plans to buy furniture were 29.5%, down 0.3 points. Plans to buy consumer electronics fell 2.6 points to 44.1%, while homebuying plans fell 0.5 points to 10.2%. Plans for a major home improvement increased to 27.2% from 23.9%. Compared with last year, most buying plans were within 1 percentage point of prior levels, except major home improvements, which rose from 23.3% to 27.2%.<\/p>\n
Grocery prices remained the expense most often cited as having a very or somewhat serious impact on respondents\u2019 financial condition, at 77%, down from 78%. Utilities were cited by 72%, unchanged from the previous quarter; housing by 70%, up from 69%; and gas by 64%, up from 63%. Entertainment and streaming services were cited by 48%, unchanged, and cell phone costs by 38%, down from 40%.<\/p>\n
Fifty-three percent of New Yorkers said monthly living expenses for food, utilities and housing were having a very or somewhat serious impact on their financial condition, unchanged from the prior quarter. Twenty-one percent said all six measured monthly expenses \u2014 food, gas, housing, utilities, entertainment and cell phones \u2014 were weighing heavily on their finances, down from 24%.<\/p>\n
<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/b>The Siena University Poll was conducted Sept. 1-Oct. 3, 2026, among 808 New York state residents. Of the respondents, 382 were contacted through a dual-frame landline and cell phone mode, including 159 who completed the survey by text to web, and 426 were drawn from a proprietary online panel, Cint.<\/p>\n Telephone sampling used a stratified dual-frame probability sample of landline and cell phone numbers. Data from collection modes was weighted to match New York state population estimates from the Census Bureau\u2019s 2023 U.S. American Community Survey on age, region, race and ethnicity, and gender. The sample also was weighted to current party registration patterns using New York State Board of Elections data.<\/p>\n The poll has an overall margin of error of plus or minus 3.8 percentage points, including design effects from weighting. Sampling error is one of multiple potential sources of error in public opinion polling.<\/p>\n Provided by Siena Research Institute; edited for style and length. Details at http:\/\/www.siena.edu\/sri\/cci<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The New York State Index of Consumer Sentiment was 65.6 in the third quarter of 2026, down 0.9 points from the second quarter, according to the Siena Research Institute. The state index was 17.5 points above the national index of 48.1, which declined 1.4 points. New York\u2019s current conditions index fell 0.8 points to 61.0, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":89,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39348","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-business-news"],"yoast_head":"\r\n