COLUMBUS, OH -- (MARKET WIRE) -- October 13, 2006 -- Consumer attitude towards the economy continued to improve in October according to BIGresearch's October Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey (CIA). Of the 7,623 consumers who participated in the survey, almost half (49.9%) said they were confident / very confident in chances for a strong economy in the next six months, which is up from 43.4% in September.

"Consumers are registering greater confidence in the economy," said Joe Pilotta, VP of Research for BIGresearch. "This usually translates into greater spending for the holidays."

The impact of gas prices are also lower as more consumers are saying fluctuating gas prices are having no major impact on their spending, 29.3% versus 24.4% last month. Consumers are also anticipating lower pump prices at Thanksgiving than they previously expected in September. This month consumers anticipate the price of a gallon of gas will be $2.55 by Turkey day, which is almost $0.30 less than last month when they anticipated the price to be $2.84 a gallon.

"Consumer expectations are the basis for action, lower price, more cash and greater spend," said Pilotta.

This information is contained in BIGresearch's October Executive Briefing. To subscribe go to http://www.bigresearch.com and click on Complimentary Top Line Findings. You will also receive additional information on CIA and other BIGresearch samples.

To comment on this release visit the BIGresearch blog: http://whencustomerstalk.blogspot.com.

About BIGresearch

BIGresearch is a market intelligence firm providing analysis of consumer behavior in areas of retail, financial services, automotive, and media. The syndicated Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey (CIA) monitors the pulse of more than 7,000 consumers each month. The syndicated Simultaneous Media Usage Survey (SIMM) monitors more than 15,000 consumers twice each year to identify opportunities in a fragmented and changing marketplace including the media.

BIGresearch's methodology provides the most accurate consumer information in the industry with a margin of error of +/- 1 percent.

Contact Information: Contact: Phil Rist BIGresearch 450 West Wilson Bridge Road Suite 370 Worthington, Ohio 43085 (614) 846-0146 Email Contact