WalletHub conducted a nationally representative consumer survey to see what people have planned for the holiday shopping season. This includes how much people expect to spend, their top holiday-shopping influences, how the economy will affect holiday budgets, and more. You can find the complete results below.
Key Stats
- The Grinch Economy: Nearly 2 in 3 Americans say the economy will make the holidays less fun this year.
- Holiday Budgets Tighten: 85% of people will spend the same amount or less on the holidays this year compared to last year.
- Swiping to Celebrate: 33% of people will apply for a new credit card to help with holiday shopping this year.
- Charitable Cuts Coming: 3 in 5 Americans say their charitable giving is affected by inflation.
- Budgeting Brings Relief: More than 4 in 5 people say budgeting in advance helps during the holidays.
- Gifts Don’t Equal Joy: 61% of Americans say they would enjoy the holidays more if people didn’t exchange gifts.
Full Survey & Responses
| How much will you spend on the holidays this year compared to last year? | |
|---|---|
| Spend the same amount | 47% |
| Spend less | 37% |
| Spend more | 15% |
| When will you pay off your holiday credit card balance? | |
| Right away | 57% |
| By spring of 2026 | 21% |
| By New Year’s | 16% |
| After spring of 2026 | 6% |
| Will you apply for a new credit card to help with holiday shopping this year? | |
| No | 67% |
| Yes | 33% |
| Which of the following do you find the most stressful about the holiday shopping season? | |
| Coming up with gift ideas | 42% |
| Cost of gifts this year | 27% |
| Finding the best deals | 18% |
| Crowds | 11% |
| Wrapping gifts | 3% |
| Is your charitable giving affected by inflation? | |
| Yes | 60% |
| No | 40% |
| What influences your holiday shopping the most? | |
| Family | 49% |
| Friends | 23% |
| Social media | 22% |
| TV | 6% |
| Would you like to outsource your holiday shopping to an AI robot? | |
| No | 69% |
| Yes | 31% |
| Will the economy make the holidays more or less fun this year? | |
| Less fun | 65% |
| More fun | 35% |
| Does budgeting in advance help during the holidays? | |
| Yes | 81% |
| No | 19% |
| Would you enjoy the holidays more if people did not exchange gifts? | |
| Yes | 61% |
| No | 39% |
Note: Percentages may not total 100% due to rounding.
Survey Methodology
This report reflects the results of a nationally representative online survey of 200 respondents.
After we collected all responses, we normalized the data by age, gender and income so the sample would reflect U.S. demographics.
WalletHub experts are widely quoted. Contact our media team to schedule an interview.