• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, January 31, 2011

Consumers may be working their way back to optimism, but new research from Nielsen shows they're also wary, redefining the way they see value in this uneven recovery.

While U.S. consumer spending is climbing faster than expected—with the U.S. Commerce Department reporting that spending is rose at its fastest pace in three years--Nielsen reports that shopping habits are quite different by income level. Among households earning $100,000 or more, the number of shopping trips are up 5%, and the amount spent on each trip is up 4%, Nielsen's James Russo, VP/Global consumer insights at Nielsen, says in a presentation. But for all other households, both categories fell, with the declines steepest among those earning less than $20,000 per year.

And while young people tended to be the most optimistic, concerns about jobs remain No. 1 across all age groups.