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Is this you? New Yorkers plan to spend big this holiday season

Nearly 20 percent of New Yorkers plan on spending $1,000 or more on gifts this holiday season.
Credit: Thinkstock

ALBANY, N.Y. — Nearly 20 percent of New Yorkers plan on spending $1,000 or more on gifts this holiday season.

That's according to the annual holiday poll released by the Siena College Research Institute on Thursday. 

Conducted from Dec. 2 through Dec. 6, the poll, which surveyed 906 New Yorkers by telephone, found that 19 percent, nearly one in five, plan on spending $1,000 or more on gifts this holiday season.

Just over half, 53 percent, of New Yorkers plan on spending under $500, while 27 percent have budgeted between $500 and $1,000 for gifts this holiday season.

Still, half of New Yorkers plan on keeping their holiday spending the same as last year, the poll found.

Nearly half of those surveyed, 47 percent, said their financial situation remained the same, while 30 percent said they were better off than the year before. Twenty-two percent said their financial situation worsened.  

The poll had a margin of error of 3.4 percentage points.

"It’s not surprising that many hope to keep holiday spending about the same," said Don Levy, director of the Siena Research Institute.

"But with 15 percent planning to up the budget and 19 percent earmarking at least $1,000, make room for plenty of presents under the tree.”

Online shopping continues to grow in popularity, according to the poll.

Over 40 percent of New Yorkers plan on doing at least half of their holiday shopping online this year, up from 35 percent last year and 33 percent a decade ago.

Still, 24 percent of New Yorkers have no plans to do any shopping online. 

While online shopping continues to grow in the state, charitable donations and volunteer work have dipped, according to the poll.

Just 68 percent of New Yorkers plan on donating money, food or gifts to charitable organizations this holiday season, the lowest number since 2007. 

A total of 31 percent of New Yorkers plan on volunteering this holiday season, a 5 percent decrease from last year.

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