About TILCOM

TILCOM has been initiated to measure consumers' emotions directly and specifically, and to track their effects on purchasing behavior over time. Consumers are asked to what degree they experience fifteen emotions (including anxiety, optimism, anger and pride) when they picture the financial situation of their household over the coming 12 months. The results are used to compile the so-called Ecomotion-index.

The Tilburg Consumer Outlook Monitor (TILCOM) is conducted four times a year in the LISS panel among a representative national population sample of around 2,500 Dutch citizens. The panel design enables us to perform causal analyses for individuals and specific groups. The questionnaire consists of three parts:

• The measurement of economic emotions (fixed part)
• Purchasing intentions, purchasing behavior, and financial behavior (fixed part)
• A special theme (variable part), such as the collapse of the government cabinet, consumer ethics, pensions, trust in economists and experts, etc..

The research provides added value to research that measures emotions indirectly, such as research into consumers' expectations and consumer confidence. By measuring emotions directly, the specific role that emotions play in purchasing and decision-making behavior can be studied. The results can also enhance the predictive power of purchasing behavior models.

Research group

TILCOM is an initiative of TIBER and is financed by the Tilburg School of Economics and Management (TiSEM) at Tilburg University. CentERdata is responsible for data collection and is actively involved in drawing up the questionnaire, the analyses and reports, and for media contacts. Within TiSEM, Prof. Rik Pieters is the initiator of the project. Within CentERdata, Dr. Jorna Leenheer, Drs. Marije Oudejans and Prof. Marcel Das are involved.

Results

Every three months, TILCOM issues a press release reporting the most striking results. An example of results from TILCOM data is shown here. Furthermore, TILCOM data serve as input for scientific research, and members of the research team are frequently interviewed by media representatives. A number of articles and press releases can be viewed here.

Contact

Would like to know more about? Please contact Jorna Leenheer

E-mail:
Phone: +31 13-4663597

The latest news about the TILCOM project can be found at twitter (in Dutch).