Just under half of people in Ireland are now saving regularly.

That is one of the findings of a survey compiled by the UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School and the Marketing Institute of Ireland.

But while people might be putting money aside for a rainy day or to pay off debt it means consumer spending is continuing to fall.

Figures for the first half of the year show it is down 2 .1%.

This continues a 4-year trend.