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"Steady, confident expectations for the economy" gave the Zions Bank Utah Consumer Attitude Index a 3.3 point bump from May to June, leaving it at 115.2 — a level suggesting "prosperity remains consistently high."

That was the conclusion of Bank President and CEO Scott Anderson, noting that consumer confidence in Utah has been above 110 for 13 months now and is 3.7 points higher than a year ago. The U.S. Consumer Confidence Index rose 1.3 points month-over-month to 118.9, which is 7.4 points higher than in June 2016.

"[Utah] consumers have maintained high levels of confidence in the statewide economy thanks to generally positive perspective on economic and business activity," Anderson said in a monthly index release. "All indicators continue to point to an economy that will maintain its expansion through the summer," benefiting businesses and consumers.

The index rose because fewer people see business conditions as being bad or foresee jobs being hard to find. Most people also feel the economy has enough oomph that prices will rise in the next year.

But people do have some reservations.

Confidence in state government's performance in improving Utah's economy slipped from 49 percent a month ago to 46 percent in June. That was considerably better than perceptions of the job done by the federal government. Only 20 percent of respondents felt it was doing well, down from 24 percent a month earlier.

That led to a 10-percent decline (37 percent to 27 percent) in the number of people who believe the economy will improve in the next 12 months. There was more confidence in the stability of 401(k) investments, but it dipped there, too — from 52 percent believing in May that a $1,000 investment will be worth more in a year to just 48 percent now.

Still, said survey overseer Randy Shumway of Cicero Group, overall economic perceptions remain strong."As consumers remain positive about their economic futures," he added, "they will continue to invest in the statewide economy, increasing the number of jobs available in Utah and increasing the standard of living for many Utahns."

Mike Gorrell