Italian families have less money and consume less. At least in the first three months of 2012 this is the situation outlined by Istat. In fact, according to what was communicated by the statistical agency, the purchasing power of households, taking inflation into account, decreased in the first quarter of 2012 by 1% compared to the previous quarter and by 2% compared to the first quarter of 2011.
Also in the same period, the propensity to save of consumer households, measured net of seasonal factors, was equal to 9,2%, unchanged compared to the previous quarter and increasing (+0,4 percentage points) compared to the first quarter of the 2011. The disposable income of consumer households instead decreased by 0,5% compared to the previous quarter, while it increased by 0,9% compared to the corresponding period of 2011.
