Some of the biggest recent increases in consumer confidence have come from independent voters and less affluent households, according to Richard Curtin, director of the University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers. His team always asks people to explain why they feel confident, and lately they are hearing near-record levels of people saying their income and wealth are rising.¶¶”We’ve only seen this many people mention income gains twice before: 1966 after the 1960s expansion and 2000 after the 1990s expansion,” Curtin said.