The 2019 holiday season is poised to be a strong one for retailers, according to the latest Gallup poll. Americans expect to spend $846 on Christmas gifts this holiday season, a $52 increase over a year ago and, along with 2015 and 2017, one of the highest spending readings in the past decade.
The results are based on a Nov. 1-14 poll. Each November since 1999, Gallup has asked Americans to estimate how much money they plan to spend on Christmas gifts. These mean dollar estimates have shown a strong relationship to actual holiday spending.
Since 2000, holiday retail sales each year have increased an average of $16 billion compared with the prior year. In previous years when Gallup’s mean spending estimate was $50 or greater than in the prior year—2006, 2010, 2011, 2015 and 2017—the average increase in actual holiday retail spending has been $29 billion, nearly double the usual increase.
In this year’s survey, 34% of Americans say they plan to spend $1,000 or more on holiday gifts, which, along with 2006 and 2017, is one percentage point behind the highest percentage at that threshold, from 1999. See the full report from Gallup.
