An annual survey from Deloitte revealed that most U.S. consumers expect the economy to weaken in the year ahead.

According to a survey of roughly 4,000 people published on Wednesday, 57% of respondents expect the economy to soften over the coming 12 months, the highest level ever recorded since Deloitte began tracking the sentiment in 1997. This represents a 27-percentage point jump from the 30% registered during the same time last year, and is even higher than the 54% seen in 2008, during the Great Recession.

Over three-quarters of respondents (77%) said they expect higher prices on holiday items this Christmas season, up from 69% last year.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE DALLAS EXPRESS APP

“We’ve been talking about the resilient consumer for a while now, that despite all these pressures, the U.S. consumer continues to spend and we keep seeing growth and spending for retail,” said Brian McCarthy, retail strategy leader for Deloitte, per CNBC. “This outlook is starting to suggest that we’re getting towards the end of that resilience.”

The survey showed that consumers intended to spend an average of $1,595 this holiday season, which is over 10% less than the $1,778 they had planned to spend last year. The lower expected spending holds across all household income groups and most generations, but was particularly acute among younger shoppers.

Gen Z consumers, who were represented in the survey by individuals between the ages of 18 and 28, revealed that they plan to spend 34% less this holiday season compared to 2024. Millennials, respondents between the ages of 29 and 44 in the poll, said they plan to spend 13% less, on average.

At the same time, Baby Boomers plan to spend, on average, 6% less, while notably, Gen X expects to shell out 3% more.

McCarthy says Gen Z’s tighter budget likely stems from a sense of uncertainty about their careers.

“They’re thinking about income and the job market and the concerns about the economy is going to throw a lot more pressure on them because they haven’t yet had time to sort of build up their savings or plan for less rosy economic environments,” he said.