How many Americans received a work bonus in 2024?
According to this national study of 999 U.S. adults, 44.9% of consumers received or expected to receive a work bonus in 2024, while 55.1% did not. The results show that year-end bonuses were not a universal source of holiday spending support.
How large were work bonuses in 2024?
Among consumers who received or expected to receive a bonus, 39.4% received $1,000 or less. More than half of bonus recipients, 53.5%, said their bonus was about the same as in prior years, while 24.5% said it was larger than usual.
How did consumers use their year-end bonuses?
Consumers divided bonus money across practical and discretionary priorities. Bills and debt relief received the largest share at 23.7%, followed by savings at 23.0%, necessities at 20.3%, wants at 19.3%, and investments at 13.7%.
How did Americans budget for holiday shopping?
The most common approach was to include holiday shopping in the household budget during the holiday months, reported by 39.1% of consumers. However, 31.0% said they made no financial plan for holiday shopping.
Did consumers plan to spend more or less during the holidays?
Half of consumers, 50.1%, planned to spend about the same amount as the previous year. Another 31.9% planned to spend less, while 18.0% expected to spend more.
What were the most popular holiday shopping items?
Clothing was the most common item on holiday shopping lists, selected by 54.6% of consumers. Gift cards ranked second at 45.7%, followed by categories such as personal electronics, shoes, gaming products, and hobby-related items.
What was the biggest concern about holiday shopping?
The leading concern was the cost of items or the risk of spending too much money, cited by 41.0% of consumers. In addition, 32.5% said that having more money available would do the most to ease their holiday shopping concerns.
Why are these holiday spending findings still relevant?
The study provides a useful benchmark for understanding how consumers respond to price pressure, limited bonuses, economic uncertainty, and the emotional importance of holiday traditions. These patterns remain relevant for retailers, employers, brands, and media analyzing seasonal consumer behavior.
How was the bonus and holiday spending study conducted?
The QuestionPro Market Research Services Team conducted the online survey from December 13 to December 17, 2024. A total of 999 U.S. adults age 18 and older completed the study, which used a non-probability sampling approach drawn from double opt-in online panels.
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