USAA survey: Holiday shoppers plan to buy more this year vs. last

End-of-year holiday sales are expected to be higher this year than in 2011, according to new research.

The United Services Automobile Association forecasts higher sales among holiday shoppers in a summary of results from the company’s fourth annual USAA holiday spending survey of 1,011 adult consumers. USSA commissioned ORC International to conduct the poll to determine how consumers plan to approach their holiday spending and budgeting activities this year compared to previous years’ surveys on this topic.

The report indicates that consumers plan to buy more gifts this year as their sentiment toward holiday budgeting has become more positive in 2012 when compared to 2011 (53 percent vs. 45 percent).

For the third year in a row, fewer holiday shoppers plan to cut their holiday spending and to budget holiday expenses, the survey states. In 2012, 24 percent of shoppers report plans to scale back, compared with 31 percent in 2011 and 40 percent in 2010.