The Standard & Poor’s Case-Shiller Home Price Index for 20 large cities declined 1 percent from December, putting the slide from its 2006 peak at 31.8 percent, according to data released Tuesday.

Eleven cities hit a new low for the downturn, including Charlotte, N.C., Miami, Tampa, Fla., and New York. Prices in New York have fallen 23 percent from their peak.

Analysts expected a rough winter, but not quite so brutal. “We are more negative on housing than we were three months ago,” said Jennifer Lee, a senior economist at BMO Capital Markets. Any recovery will be delayed from this fall until next year, she said.

Buying a house is a mix of faith and necessity, but that first element is scarce these days. The Conference Board reported Tuesday that its consumer confidence index tumbled 8.6 percent in March, the first drop in six months and the largest in a year. Only 15 percent of respondents thought their incomes would increase over the next six months.

Among the troubles facing the market is a pervasive sense that houses are a bad bet. If prices still have further to fall, if loans are tough to get, if interest rates are no longer plunging, why not put off a deal if you possibly can?