LONDON (AP) -- Consumer confidence in Britain improved slightly in March, but remained weak overall because of the recession, according to a survey published Tuesday.
The GfK NOP Consumer Confidence Index stood at minus 30 in March, a rise of five points from February but still 11 points lower than a year earlier.
The negative figure means there were more people who thought things would get worse than those who expected them to improve.
"This month consumer confidence jumped quite significantly to levels not seen since May last year," said Rachael Joy of GfK NOP.
"It still remains historically very low, but suggests that lower interest rates and a better picture for household bills are restoring some confidence among U.K. consumers. Certainly, when looking to the future, consumers are feeling better about the likely performance of the economy over the next 12 months."
The confidence index for personal finances over the next year was minus six, up two points from February.
The results are based on responses from 2,003 people aged 16 and older between March 6 and March 15. GfK NOP said the results have an estimated margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.
