More Americans today than a month ago believe that the terrorist attacks of September 11th are pushing the United States into a recession, according to The Conference Board’s latest survey of American consumers.

Over the last month, the number of Americans who say they are not going to postpone plans to buy cars, homes or other large-ticket items has not changed. More households say they are not cutting back on their plans to travel by plane, and more say they will continue to make investments in the financial markets.

This Special Consumer Survey is based on a representative sample of 750 U.S. households. The survey was conducted by phone on October 18th and 19th and September 18th and 19th for The Conference Board by NFO WorldGroup, a member of The Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE: IPG).

“While the purchasing intentions of consumers have not changed and remain quite upbeat,” says Lynn Franco, Director of The Conference Board’s Consumer Research Center, “it remains to be seen whether these current attitudes translate into actual purchases.”

Key findings:

· 52% of American consumers believe the terrorist attacks are pushing the U.S. into a recession, up from 47% last month.
· 46% say these events will affect their households economically, down from 51% last month.
· 90% say they do not plan to postpone major purchases, such as a home, car or major appliance, about the same as last month. 82% do not plan to postpone financial investments, up slightly from 80% last month.
· 79% do not plan to postpone or cancel travel plans by plane, compared to 70 percent last month.

JCK