The downward momentum in consumer confidence came to a halt in August due to offsetting changes. "It should be no surprise that consumers have mixed views on the economy when mortgage rates are at their lowest level in decades and declines in stock prices have erased a substantial fraction of their wealth," according to Richard Curtin, the Director of the University of Michigan’s Surveys of Consumers. As a result, consumers reported that they wanted to spend more as well as to save more. "Low interest rates have kept home and vehicle buying attitudes near record levels, but apprehensions about their …

About 82 percent of U.S. households have some type of cable or satellite TV service, according to the recently released J.D. Power and Associates 2002 Residential Cable/Satellite TV Customer Satisfaction Study and U.S. government data. "While the study shows the average expenditure for both information/entertainment services is now nearly equal, more consumers are electing to switch services to satellite TV providers," said Steve Kirkeby, senior director of telecommunications for J.D. Power and Associates.

Daily overnight analysis shows that traffic to the "American Idol" site skyrocketed 193 percent to 241,000 visitors on Tuesday September 3, compared to 82,000 visitors last Tuesday, August 27. Traffic to the site peaked with 308,000 surfers visiting the site, compared to 158,000 visitors the previous Wednesday.

"Magazine readership increased 5.3% among adults since 1998, outpacing the 4.4% growth in the adult population during the same period, despite the economic downturn and the continued growth of the Internet and other media alternatives," saysEllen Oppenheim, EVP/Chief Marketing Officer, Magazine Publishers of America (MPA) and Kathi L. Love, CEO and President of Mediamark Research Inc.

Marketers are taking a closer look and incorporating local audiences into their overall strategies. A ranking of the fastest growing markets since the beginning of this year reveals that smaller regions are catching up. Interestingly, the San Francisco market, among the most wired regions and perhaps the hardest-hit when the dot-com bubble burst, ranks tenth. Further details on this finding - including the latest consumer online spending metrics and worldwide traffic highlights -- are included in the latest edition of comScore Media Metrix' Week on the Web.

When compared with traditional media, one out of five Americans feel that the Internet is the "most essential" medium to their lives, according to a new study "Internet 9: The Media and Entertainment World of Online Consumers," by Arbitron Inc. and Edison Media Research. 46 percent of 12-to-34 year-olds chose the Internet as the most "cool and exciting" medium, while 29 percent chose TV as the most "cool and exciting" medium.

67% of Americans who have outstanding student loans say student loans are a big enough burden to prevent them from making major purchases such as homes and cars, according to the results of a nationwide survey by the Cambridge Consumer Credit Index. Of those surveyed, 20% claim student loans are a major burden while 47% say loans pose a minor burden to spending. Of the entire American public, 18% report having outstanding student loans while 82% do not have such loans. "As college tuitions and the amount of money people have to borrow to finance education rises in coming years, …

A release from the Dow Jones Newswires by Brian Steinberg reports that U.S advertising in 2002 is expected to accelerate during the second half of the year, but will still fall short of the peak levels during the halcyon days of dot-com boom in 2000, according to a new study from Standard & Poor's.

According to a new study by Scarborough Research, an average of 49 percent of adults in 75 cities nationwide made any home improvements in the 12 months preceeding the study. The survey results indicate that consumers in smaller markets may be more likely to spend money on home improvements than their mega-city counterparts.

Women dominate the Family and Lifestyle sites during the 3rd week in August, with kid's stuff first, matchmaking second and "wherefrom" last. The males have only a slight edge in the Financial areas, though.