7 Chart 3: The virus outbreak led to a sharp drop in consumer confidence across regions Index: 2014 = 100  Index 180 160 140 120 100 80 60 40  May-17  Sep-17 Jan-18 Ontario  May-18  Sep-18 Jan-19 Atlantic provinces  May-19  Sep-19  Jan-20 Prairies  Source: Conference Board of Canada  20 May-20  Last observation: May 2020  Falling consumption and shifts in spending Consumption during the containment period was considerably affected by the impacts of the pandemic on household income and confidence.
However, even before the pandemic hit our shores earlier this year, there was increasing evidence that consumption growth was slowing as households were becoming more cautious, perhaps because of elevated debt levels and a somewhat less robust economy.