Twenty-one percent (21%) of American adults say they are carrying more credit card debt than a year ago, and 11% say their credit limit on one or more cards has been reduced in the past 12 months.

One-third of Americans (33%) say they have less credit card debt than a year ago, and 43% say their debt level is about the same, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Three percent (3%) are not sure.

Eighty-two percent (82%) of Americans also say their credit limit has not been reduced on one or more cards in the past year. Seven percent (7%) aren’t sure.

The Rasmussen Consumer Index, which measures the economic confidence of consumers on a daily basis, stabilized just above its all-time low on Monday. Two-thirds of adults (67%) plan on spending less on gifts this holiday season.

The Los Angeles Times, citing unnamed consumer groups, says Americans now have 1.2 billion credit cards and nearly $1 trillion in credit card debt, four times the level of 1990. Federal regulators last week announced new rules for credit card companies, including limits on interest rate increases and late fees, but they don’t take effect until July 2010.

Twenty five percent (25%) of adults say they don’t have a credit card, including fifty three percent (53%) of those who earn less than $20,000 per year. But nine percent (9%) of those in that low-income category also say they have more than four credit cards.

Forty-two percent (42%) of Americans say they have had the limit increased on one or more credit cards within the past year, while 47% say that has not been the case for them. Eleven percent (11%) are undecided.

Just over half (51%) say they carry a balance on their credit cards, with nearly as many (49%) saying they pay off the cards in full every month.

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Nineteen percent (19%) of men and 23% of women say they are carrying more credit card debt this year than last. Thirty-one percent (31%) of men and 34% of women say they have less credit card debt now.

Twenty-one percent (21%) of whites have more credit debt than a year ago, while 31% have less and 45% about the same. Among African-Americans, 16% claim more debt, 53% less and 30% roughly the same amount as a year ago.

A slightly higher percentage of blacks (14%) say their credit limit has been reduced, compared to whites (10%). Eighty-three percent (83%) of whites and 76% of blacks say their limit has not been reduced.

Forty-one percent (41%) of African-Americans had their credit limit increased in the past 12 months, along with 45% of whites. Nearly half of women (47%) also had their credit limits raised on one or more cards, compared to 37% of men.

Married Americans were closely divided on the question of whether their credit limits had been increased, while non-marrieds by nine points were more likely not to have been increased.

Fifty-one percent (51%) of men and 47% of women say they pay off their cards in full each month, as do 49% of whites and 38% of African-Americans. Among all income groups, those earning over $75,000 per year (57%) are most likely to pay their cards in full each month.

Fifty-six percent (56%) of investors pay off their credit card debt each month, compared to 36% of non-investors. Fifty-one percent (51%) of unmarried adults do the same versus 48% of those who are married.

Thirty-four percent (34%) of adults say they have one or two credit cards, while 22% say they own three or four. Sixteen percent (16%) have more than four cards. Women have more cards than men.

Fifty percent (50%) of blacks do not own a card, compared to only 21% of whites. Meanwhile, seventeen percent (17%) of whites have more than four cards, compared to only 3% of blacks.

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