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Morning Consult Questions Michigan's Consumer Sentiment Reliability

1/31/2026

Summary

Story summary

Morning Consult questions the reliability of the University of Michigan's consumer sentiment data.
They say the Michigan survey of 900–1,000 interviews reports a five-month high, contradicting Morning Consult's 140,594 interviews showing a decline.
Economists from Yale University and Stanford University have criticized Michigan's changes to its methodology over the past 18 months.
Morning Consult warns that relying on Michigan's data risks corporate and investor decisions and urges caution.

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Story summary

Morning Consult questions the reliability of the University of Michigan's consumer sentiment data.
They say the Michigan survey of 900–1,000 interviews reports a five-month high, contradicting Morning Consult's 140,594 interviews showing a decline.
Economists from Yale University and Stanford University have criticized Michigan's changes to its methodology over the past 18 months.
Morning Consult warns that relying on Michigan's data risks corporate and investor decisions and urges caution.