With less than three weeks until Christmas, just 17% of Americans have finished their holiday shopping. Just three percent (3%) finished their shopping over the past week. Seven percent (7%) had finished shopping before Thanksgiving.

Last year at this time, 22% of Americans said they had finished their holiday shopping.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that though they haven’t finished, most adults have at least started the gift buying process. Fifty-three percent (53%) say they have started shopping, up five points from last week and 12 points from the week before Thanksgiving.

Eleven percent (11%) now say they expect to spend more on gifts than they did last year, up three points from the previous two surveys. Typically, as the shopping season wears on, this number grows slightly and the number who planned to cut back declines a bit.

Sixty-three percent (63%) expect to spend less money during their holiday shopping this year. While that’s still a depressing number for retailers, it’s down from 66% a week ago and from 71% before Thanksgiving.

Nineteen percent (19%) of women have finished their holiday shopping, compared to 15% of men.

Adults with no children living at home are more likely to have finished their shopping than those with children at home.

Most women (59%) have started their shopping, while less than half of men (46%) say the same.

Not everyone plans to stick to store-bought items as gifts this year. Forty-five percent (45%) say they plan on giving homemade gifts to members of their family and friends. Another 48%, however, say they are not likely to do so.

Women are slightly more likely than men to give their loved ones homemade gifts.

Half of Americans (50%) plan to buy gifts for people outside their family, but another 43% say they will not.

Data from today’s Rasmussen Consumer index shows that 29% of Americans believe U.S. economic conditions are getting better while 47% say they are getting worse. One year ago, only 7% said the economy was improving and 73% believed conditions were getting worse.

Americans are closely divided over whether holiday shopping is fun or an unpleasant chore.

Still, when they are out shopping, 72% prefer to see signs wishing them a "Merry Christmas” rather than ones that say "Happy Holidays."