Consumers are again feeling more confident, but still have concerns about the economy.
The Consumer Confidence Index was 52.5 this month, up from February's level of 46.4, the Conference Board reported today.
The New York City-based research organization's survey of 5,000 families also indicated that the Present Situation Index, which measures consumer assessment of current conditions, rose to 26 from 21.5 last month.
In the latest survey, the percentage of consumers describing business conditions as "good" increased to 8.6% from 6.8% in February, while those saying conditions are "bad" decreased to 42.8%, compared with 45.1% last month.
The percentage of those who said jobs are "hard to get" fell to 45.8% from 47.3% in February. Those saying jobs are plentiful increased to 4.4% from 4% last month.
