Despite confidence in economy, survey finds consumers not spending more this Valentine's Day

LOS ANGELES— According to PriceGrabber survey on consumer purchasing decisions for Valentine's Day, 52% of Valentine’s Day shoppers indicate that the economy will not have any effect on their purchasing decisions for Valentine’s Day 2011. Despite their confidence in the economy,78% of survey respondents indicate they will not spend more money on Valentine’s Day shopping this year compared with last year. The remaining 22% of consumers plan to spend more on Valentine’s Day shopping this year.

The most popular Valentine’s Day expense among women was greeting cards, with 62% of female Valentine’s Day shoppers planning to purchase greeting cards this year. Forty-two percent of female shoppers anticipate spending money on an evening out, and 26%will purchase candy.

For male survey respondents, the most popular Valentine’s Day expense was an evening out, selected by 53%. Forty-five percent of male respondents plan to spend money on greeting cards. Forty-five percent plan to spend money on flowers, and 18% plan to spend money on candy this Valentine’s Day.

The PriceGrabber (a part of Experian) survey was conducted from Jan. 12 to Jan. 26 and polled 2,458 U.S. online consumers who plan to spend money on a Valentine’s Day celebration.