Overview
- CNBC’s All-America Economic Survey reports the high cost of goods as the leading factor restraining budgets, with 41% planning to spend less this season.
- Among those increasing outlays, 36% say higher prices are the driver, and average planned gift spending holds about flat at roughly $1,016.
- Shopping behavior is shifting, with a nine-point rise in online buying and gains for big-box and wholesale outlets, alongside stronger discount-only purchasing.
- Financial strain is building, as 57% enter the holidays with debt, up 11 points from last year, with notable increases among 18- to 34-year-olds.
- AP-NORC polling and Benzinga’s account point to broad affordability pressures and negative views of the economy as President Trump dismisses the surveys as fake and a hoax.