Survey finds Seattle will spend more than U.S. this holiday season

SEATTLE -- Retailers are gearing up for the big holiday shopping season and it seems Seattleites will be spending more than other Americans.

That is according to a new survey by Deloitte of holiday spending intentions and trends. Eighty-one percent of those surveyed said they plan to spend the same amount or more this holiday season, an increase of 18 percentage points from last year.

Seattle shoppers also told Deloitte that they expect to spend $1,420 this year, compared to the national average of $1,154. That includes nine percent more on gifts.

Feelings about the recession also seem to be more positive among Seattle shoppers. More than 61 percent surveyed said they believe the economy is slowly coming back. That is compared to the national average of 54 percent.

Nationwide, more people are expected to do their holiday shopping online than ever before, especially people in Seattle. More than half told Deloitte that the internet would be part of their holiday shopping plans, compared to the national average of 47 percent.

To read more about the Deloitte annual holiday shopping survey, click here.