A couple kisses on Valentine's Day in a shop in Madrid city centre February 14, 2008.

Is it really the thought that counts? Americans will find out this Valentine's Day.

US shoppers will spend 17 percent less, on average, on their sweethearts during the Feb 14 lover's holiday this year, according to a survey by BIGresearch for the National Retail¹ Federation². That comes to about $103 per gift-giver down from $123 last year.

"Valentine's Day this year will be more about small tokens of affection rather than extravagant³ purchases," Phil Rist, executive vice⁴ president at BIGresearch, said.

Some people will do away with gifts altogether and arrange "quality time" with their heart's desire at home instead, while others will set strict budgets for what they are willing to buy, he said.

But the most popular traditions won't die too fast. Nearly half of those surveyed said they would go to a restaurant on Valentine's Day and more than one-third said they plan to buy flowers. About 58 percent said they would send greeting cards, up from 56.8 percent last year.

According to the survey results, the majority of those surveyed (90.8 percent) will spend the most on their spouse⁵ ($67.22), with other family members getting about one-fifth of their budget ($20.95). Smaller amounts will be spent on children, teachers, co-workers and pets.

Total U.S. spending is expected to reach $14.7 billion for the holiday. The survey polled 8,850 consumers in early January about their Valentine's Day spending plans.

是否真的是心意到了就行了？今年情人节，美国人便能看个究竟。

美国全国零售业协会委托BIGresearch开展的一项调查显示，今年情人节美国人的平均消费将下降17%，人均开支将从去年的123美元下降至今年的约103美元。

BIGresearch执行副总裁菲尔•里斯特说：“今年情人节更受欢迎的将是那些表达爱意的小礼物，而非昂贵的奢侈品。”

据他介绍，有些人干脆省去礼物，而打算与心上人在家共度“温馨时光”，而其他人则表示将严格控制预算。

但最流行的情人节传统不会轻易消失。近一半的受访者称今年情人节他们将和恋人出去吃饭，超过三分之一的人称他们打算买花送给对方。约58%的受访者表示将寄贺卡，较之去年的56.8%有所上升。

调查结果显示，多数受访者（90.8%）表示情人节的主要花钱对象是伴侣（平均为67.22美元），约五分之一的预算（20.95美元）将用于家庭其他成员。用于孩子、老师、同事和宠物的预算更少。

今年情人节美国人的总消费预计将达147亿美元。这项情人节消费意向民调于今年1月初开展，共有8850名消费者参加。

Vocabulary:

do away with:废除；去掉