Americans Plan to Cut Back Holiday Spending, But Not Giving

Americans who are cutting back on their holiday spending because of the crumbling economy still plan to give to charity, according to a survey conducted for PayPal, the Internet service that enables people to make payments online.

In a survey of people who described themselves as holiday shoppers, 73 percent said they would make a donation before the year’s end, compared with 60 percent last year.

Seventy percent of those surveyed, meanwhile, said they intended to spend less this holiday season.

“In times like these, while people are spending less on gifts, the spirit of giving around the holidays is still very much alive,” said Cliff Hopkins, senior director of PayPal, in a press release.

Older individuals, and those with more money, were more likely to make charitable donations during the holiday season.

Eighty-three percent of people over age 45 said they would give, according to the study, which was conducted in mid-October by the survey company Ipsos.

Among people with household incomes of over $100,000, that figure was 85 percent.