Young Consumer Spending

Rumour Has It
I heard today on the radio, and my usual news search, that young shoppers are going to spend more this Christmas. One girl commented on how she thinks everyone's had a bad 2009, and so it should make the end of a bad year. I really has been a black year for everyone. I personally want to buy all of my friends little gifts for how great they really are, regardless of my lack of Christmas spirit.
ASOS.com email snippet showing possible gifts to buy for girls. I wonder how online spending will factor with the youth.
The habit I'm really digging at is that young spenders are the ones who are planning on spending more. Is it because they have the money, or do they really just want to spend their money on someone else now? Have they even been spending money up until this point? And then now they have a reason to spend they'll be going all out. Consumer habits in spending is very important to my project especially when considering younger consumers who will become the next middle-aged consumers, and the ones that will have to bring us fully out of the recession if they get jobs. If their habits of spending include spending on others as an excuse, perhaps they really will be shopaholics in the future. Will they ever change their spending habits? Will they ever buy ethically and sensibly? Only time will tell, and you can bet the economy will have an affect.