With only 40 shopping days left until Christmas, 56% of Americans need to hit the mall or the Web--they have not yet begun to shop for the holidays. A Rasmussen Reports survey found that even though Thanksgiving has not arrived, 40% of Americans have already started their holiday shopping excursions (see crosstabs).

Women (47%) and married Americans (46%) are more likely to have started their shopping than men (32%) or singles (30%).

Seven percent (7%) are so far ahead of the game that they have already completed their holiday purchases.

Fifty-one percent (51%) of those surveyed say they plan to spend less on gifts than they did last year. Eighteen percent (18%) say they expect to spend more and 27% will spend about the same as they did last year.

With Black Friday, the official start of the holiday shopping season, right around the corner, Wal-Mart and Target announced this week that they will slash prices on dozens of popular gift items in an effort to attract holiday shoppers.

Sixty-five percent (65%) say they plan to pick out specific presents for those on their gift lists rather than simply purchase gift cards (19%). There is little difference between male and female shoppers on this question--64% of men and 66% of women will spend time finding the perfect gifts.

The gender divide is quite evident, however, when it comes to enjoying holiday shopping. Fifty-five percent (55%) of women consider the task a pleasant experience; only 36% of men agree. Half of male shoppers (48%) consider holiday shopping an unpleasant chore, a sentiment shared by 28% of women. Overall, 46% of those surveyed enjoy the holiday shopping experience, 37% do not and 14% rate it somewhere in between.

Crosstabs are available to Premium Members only.