Virginians are feeling upbeat in the latest measure of Consumer Sentiment from the Institute for Policy and Opinion Research at Roanoke College. The US economy is estimated to be growing at more than 3 percent in the first quarter of 2026, twice what’s it grew at in 4-Q ’25. Wage growth continues to outpace inflation by 1.3 percent. Roanoke College surveyed 930 people statewide in mid-February. Senior analyst Dr. Alice Kassens then crunched the numbers; she also says any impact of how tariffs might affect Consumer Sentiment has been minimal. The Virginia Index of Consumer Expectations – another gauge of how 70 percent of the country’s economy feels about the current outlook jumped up a healthy two and a half points, with a third of Virginians feeling their household finances will improve over the next year. The numbers explain why, as WFIR’s Gene Marrano reports: