• by Karl Greenberg , May 5, 2009

For kids, all income is disposable. Yes, the economy is muck, but teens are still shopping, especially when it comes to personal appearance.

A new survey of teens commissioned by Seventeen magazine suggests that teens -- big surprise here -- are not quite ready to take the cash they had saved for Vans and put it into T-bills. Fifty-three percent of respondents of the online survey, via Survey Monkey, a Web-based platform, said their parents give them spending money regularly. Only 25% said the 'rents are giving them less money than last year. Seventy-five percent are getting more or the same amount as last year. And over half are working.

Two out of five survey respondents said the economy's downturn has affected them in ways that include receiving less money, having an unemployed parent, losing their own job or having their own working hours cut back.

Still, the survey also suggests that most teens won't give up cell phones or clothing no matter how bad things get, but that they would sacrifice entertainment to apparel: when given the choice between tickets to a concert or new jeans, 63% of respondents took the jeans. Similarly, between new shoes or 50 new MP3 files, 75% took the shoes. Looks trump everything if Seventeen's survey is solid: when ask to compare their spend on certain categories this year versus last, respondents said they are spending more this year, much more, on skin care, cell phones (which is probably a fashion item), clothing, hair products and cosmetics.

Fifty-five percent of teens surveyed said they are waiting for things to go on sale prior to purchase; 50% said they are making fewer impulse purchase; 42% said they are doing more comparison shopping. Thirty-five percent said they are staying with their favorite brands and 31% of survey respondents said they are shopping at less expensive stores. Seventy nine percent of teens are saving money, but mostly for clothing, though college comes in a close second, with 38% saying they are saving for a car, 29% for social activities and 29% for personal appearance products.