Holiday shoppers are feeling a little more generous now than a month ago despite the seemingly endless flow of economic bad news, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.

Three-out-of-five Americans (60%) say they plan to spend less on gifts this year than they did a year ago, but that’s actually an improvement from early November when 66% said they were going to spend less this holiday season.

That six-point shift is reflected in the number of those who plan to spend the same this year as last year. In November 21% planned to spend the same amount, but now 27% feel that way.

Ten percent (10%) say they plan to spend more this year, and that figure is unchanged from early November. Just two percent (2%) are undecided.

A year ago at this time, 56% of Americans planned to spend less than the year before, 15% more and 23% were not sure.

Sixty-two percent (62%) of women plan to spend less this year, compared to 58% of men. In November, 68% of women and 63% of men responded that way.

Men and women under age 40 are at least twice as likely to spend more this year than those 40 and over.

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Fifty-four percent (54%) now say they have started their holiday gift shopping, up from 25% in early November. Forty-two percent (42%) have yet to begin.

Sixty percent (60%) of women have already started shopping versus 47% of men. Nearly the same number of men (48%) have yet to begin, compared to just 37% of women.

A lucky 11% of Americans say they’re finished their holiday shopping, a claim made by only five percent (5%) a month ago. Eighty-four percent (84%) say they still have shopping to do. Men and women are virtually identical on this question.

Retailers reported better-than-expected sales on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, normally one of the biggest shopping days of the year, but analysts say the volume of sales will be offset by the deep discounts offered by many stores.

The Rasmussen Consumer Index, which measures the economic confidence of consumers on a daily basis, rose slightly on Tuesday, but it’s still down 35 points from the beginning of the year.

With increasing reports of financially ailing stories possibly not honoring gift cards after the holidays, the number of gift-givers considering that option has fallen over the past month. Fifty-nine percent (59%) say they plan to spend more money on specific gifts for people, while 15% say they will opt for gift cards. Twenty-five percent (25%) are undecided.

In November, 19% planned to spend more money on gift cards, with 54% favoring specific gifts and 27% undecided.

Thirty-nine percent (39%) say holiday gift shopping is a fun experience, while 41% view it as an unpleasant chore. For 19%, it’s somewhere in between.

Women are far more enthusiastic about gift shopping than men. While 47% of women say it’s a fun experience, 49% of men describe it as an unpleasant chore.

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