PORTLAND — A new poll shows Mainers are feeling better about the economy.
The poll released today by Market Decisions of Portland says Maine consumers turned optimistic about the economy in January, with consumer sentiment rising 12 percent from the previous quarter.
Market Decisions President Curtis Mildner cautions that one quarter's results do not make a trend, but he says it's hard to ignore the survey's evidence showing improved consumer mood.
Forty percent of those polled say now is a good time to make a major purchase, a 33 percent increase. The percentage of Mainers who say they're worse off than one year ago dropped from 49 to 40 percent.
The phone survey of 402 Mainers 18 and over was conducted Jan. 11-19. It has a 5 percentage point margin of error