(KCPW News) Utahns are more optimistic about the local economy this month, despite the federal government’s debt crisis. The Zions Bank Consumer Attitude Index for Utah rose three points from June to July, compared to a 1.9-point increase nationally in the Consumer Confidence Index. Randy Shumway, CEO of the Cicero group, says Utah businesses are putting their houses in order, and waiting for the federal government to do the same.
“There are a lot of positive economic indicators, but what people see in the news everyday is ‘hey Washington, D.C., is having this tit for tat surrounding how to solve the deficit.’ This is political and you’ve got business owners that are saying ‘stop’'” says Shumway.
One of those business owners is Pam March with Every Blooming Thing in Salt Lake City. She says she’s had to make some big changes over the past few years because of the economy, and in a way, reinvent the wheel.
“The quality of our product can’t change, but how we get from point A to point B had to be reinvestigated and honestly I am grateful for the opportunity that this recession has afforded us to really look closely about how we do things. Because as in government, we have a lot of waste,” she says.
22 percent of those surveyed for the latest monthly report said the Utah state government is doing a good job when it comes to economic policy, while only 5 percent said the same of the federal government.
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