Using Their Credit Cards Less? Not lately

It has been a common vow ever since the economy got bad: "I'll use my credit cards less." But has this intention abated?

A CBS News/New York Times poll, fielded in February, found just 28 percent of respondents saying they'd abided by it in recent months. Fifty-nine percent said they've been using their credit cards in recent months "about the same amount as you usually do." Twelve percent said they've been using them more often than usual. (The rest weren't sure.)

People had better be careful about carrying a balance, though: 37 percent of respondents said the interest rate on their credit cards has risen in the past few months.