Americans Plan To Spend More, Give Less This Holiday Season

In what could be a bad news for charities, fewer Americans plan to spend less money on holiday gifts this year as a result of the current economic climate, but at the same time, many are less likely to give a charitable gift as a holiday present.

Last year, about half of U.S. adults (51 percent) agreed they'd be "more likely" to give a charitable gift as a holiday present due to the economic climate. This year, that percentage dropped six points to 45 percent, reveals the World Vision Holiday Giving Survey, conducted by Harris Interactive.

About six in ten (59 percent) say that "as a result of the current economic climate" they will spend less money on holiday presents this year, the study finds. This represents a huge 12 percentage point drop from 2011 when about seven out of ten (71 percent) said they'd plan to spend less money of holiday gifts.

"We have gone through these tough times and it's surprising that instead of being more sympathetic, Americans are spending more on holiday gifts and giving less to charity. If there is a silver lining", World Vision Gift Catalog Director Sarah Renusch said.

EIghty-three percent of Americans prefer to receive a meaningful gift this year, 80 percent said the same in last year, 80 percent in 2010, 76 percent in 2009 and 84 percent in 2008. "It's that more than 8 out of ten (83 percent) say they'd prefer to receive a meaningful gift that would help someone else instead of a traditional gift like clothing or electronics."

Nearly one in two Americans (49 percent) say social media has affected their charitable giving this holiday season. And nearly four in ten (39 percent) say social media have made them more aware of the needs of others.