Survey: Fluctuating Gas Prices Increasingly Impact Consumer Spending

Washington, D.C., The National Retail Federation’s (NRF) 2006 Gas Prices Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey from BIGresearch reported 76.0% of consumers believe fluctuating gas prices impacted their spending habits, up from 67.2% in 2005 and 56.8% in 2004. While consumers seemed resilient in the face of higher energy costs, a tipping point may soon be in sight. This could reduce flexible spending and cause the economy to lose much of the steam built up over the last two years.