<P> When fuel supplies are disrupted, the demand for goods that are dependent on fuel, like motor vehicles and machinery, may decrease . Disruption in energy supplies creates uncertainty regarding availability and upcoming prices of these supplies . Often, consumers will not purchase energy - dependent products until they can be sure that fuel will be available to use the product . </P> <P> Increases in the price of fuel do not lead to decreases in demand because it is inelastic . Rather, a greater portion of income is spent on fuel, and less is available to purchase other goods . This leads to an overall decrease in consumer spending . </P> <P> In 1929, consumer spending was 75% of the nation's economy . This grew to 83% in 1932, when business spending dropped . Consumer spending dropped to about 50% during World War II due to large expenditures by the government and lack of consumer products . Consumer spending in the US rose from about 62% of GDP in 1960, where it stayed until about 1981, and has since risen to 71% in 2013 . </P> <P> In the United States, the Consumer Spending figure published by the Bureau of Economic Analysis includes three broad categories of personal spending . </P>

Us consumer spending as a percentage of gdp