Stock market slumps and the threat of war on Iraq have failed to dent people's confidence about their household finances, a survey said today.

The report, by economic analysts Experian, said optimism about personal finances over the next year was at the highest level ever recorded, with 33 per cent of a sample group of 6,024 people expecting the to improve over the next year, compared to 13 per cent who expected them to worsen.