The Chamber of Commerce has weighed in on a poll that found nearly a third of respondents were financially worse off than last year.

"These figures show it is unlikely that businesses can look ahead to a significant growth in local spending anytime soon," said Diane Gordon, the Chamber's executive vice president.

Twenty-nine percent of those questioned told polling firm Mindmaps that their finances were worse off than last year, while 55 percent said they were financially the same.

The poll results were published in this newspaper last week. "While it is encouraging that most of the people surveyed feel they are financially the same or in some cases even better off than they were a year ago, the Chamber notes with concern that nearly half those surveyed also said they are not confident in the direction Bermuda's economy is headed," Ms Gordon stated.

Ms Gordon was referring to another poll, which found that 48 percent of respondents [especially whites] are not confident in the direction the economy is heading. "While it is not surprising that crime which has made headlines in the past year is a key concern, we see the economy and long-term sustainable employment opportunities as critical to our long-term financial and social stability," she added.