The bum economy has people thinking twice about heading out of town for the long Fourth of July holiday weekend.

"This year, given the state of the economy, the joblessness rate and concerns over what will happen in coming months have really added to people's anxiety about spending money on travel," said Cynthia Harris, spokeswoman for AAA Northern California.

A survey commissioned by AAA found that some 4.5 million Californians are expected to travel 50 miles or more during the extended holiday period ending Monday. That's a 2.7 percent decrease from last year. And that's even with gas prices more than $1.50 a gallon cheaper than they were Independence Day 2008.

Still, about 3.7 million Californians are expected to go on a road trip as the nation marks its birth 233 years ago, the annual survey found. Among the most popular in-state driving destinations for Bay Area residents? Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, Disneyland and San Diego, Harris said. For those willing to spend a bit more time behind the wheel, Las Vegas and Salt Lake City and its nearby national parks also are favorite destinations, she said.