Report: Parents With Children 5-12

Top Brands

What do you put in your children’s lunch box?
Fruit, sandwiches, yoghurts and cheesy biscuits including cheddars were popular answers and parents also like to include raw vegetables such as carrots and cucumber.
If children eat school dinners then parents like to have control over the menu and many spoke of the influence of Jamie Oliver and his school dinners crusade.

How important is the healthiness of the food brands that you buy?
Knowing what is in the food they buy is essential and many prefer to cook from scratch to ensure it is free from additives. Tesco labels were praised because they list the percentage of salt, sugar and fat hey contain.
Parents are prepared to spend more to ensure their children eat organic at the expensive of their own diet.

What do think about the way children are targeted by food advertisers?
Parents believe there are too many adverts that promote unhealthy food, which leads to being pestered to buy what is advertised on TV.
MacDonald’s was one of the worst offenders.
However over half of the parents interviewed believed it was possible to safeguard their children from the negative effects of advertising by educating and giving their children the right foods from a very early age.

Where do you like to buy clothes for your children?
Next and Gap were favourites for more expensive purchases and Primark and H&M were preferred for their affordability.
Big brand names were avoided because of the speed at which children grow out of their clothes and the substantial wear & tear they receive.

Finance

Who do you bank with? How could they improve their service?
Though many were happy with their bank’s service, the main areas that need improving are reducing charges for going overdrawn and reducing interest rates on credit.
Reasons why many were satisfied include having good internet and telephone banking facilities and courteous staff.

Do you worry about your children’s money situation in the future?
The main concern was funding further education and university with the introduction of university fees and the current pension crisis. To help their children in the future parents are saving child benefit, setting up saving accounts and investing sure start funds.

Why did you pick your credit card company to get a card with?
Respondents like the convenience of having their card with the same company as their current account, which makes managing payments easier and is often the first place they go to for credit. But postal marketing and being approached in the street were also reasons. Other factors include getting the lowest interest rates, credit limits and 0% offers.

How much pocket money do you give to your children? What do they spend it on?
£2.50 a week is the average but much of the money is dependent on children helping with chores and essentially earning their allowance.
Parents are keen to instil a value of money and the idea of saving up to get the things they want in their children.

If you won £1000 how would you spend it?
Going on holiday was the most popular answer. Some respondents wanted to invest the money or put it towards the cost of Christmas.

Media & Technology

How aware are you of what your kids are doing online?
Parents lie to have the family computer in a communal room so they can keep an eye on their online activity.
Putting child locks and controls are one step they take to remain control over the sites they visit and many actual type the addresses in themselves so their children only visit specific sites.

What websites do you visit the most & why?
Checking email and shopping online are where the parents spend their time online. The internet is also used for news content, sites like the BBC and The Times online.

What are your favourite TV programmes and magazines? Why?
Real life and soaps were preferred over reality shows by this demographic. History shows and tracing family ancestry were interesting and general knowledge and quiz shows were characteristic of viewing habits,

What age did you let your kids have a mobile phone and how much do they spend?
Respondents said that when children go to secondary school they will buy their child a mobile phone. The main reason is because of the increase in travel children will do on their own, to and fro school, which the parents want to ensure is safe. Parents do worry about peer pressure and the need for their children to stay in the communication loop with their friends.

What will be the next gadget/electronic product you will be buying?
Surprisingly iPods were hardy mentions and parents are actually planning to buy gaming equipment for their children, including game consoles PSP and Xbox.

Retail

What are your kids nagging you to buy them at the moment?
Electronic products and computer games are at the top of the list, followed by sweets and clothes.

Describe a typical high street shopping trip with your children?
Many respondents described it as stressful and expensive, with the cost of eating out adding to the cost.

Do you use the internet to research before you buy? What do you by online?
The internet is used to research more expensive and white goods before buying. Parents like the convenience the internet offers, from being able to reserve online, having items delivered and saving money parents love the internet for saving them from having to physically go out and buy with young children.

What would buy for yourself as a treat?
Clothes and a beauty treatment are the most popular answers. Parents want to be pampered and have some time for themselves, away from their children.

What do you sacrifice buying for yourself in order to buy for your children?
Parents didn’t believe that they made major sacrifices for their children, they naturally buying less or putting their needs last when their children were born.

Work

How has having children affected your career?
Many of the mothers have only returned part time and others, having found it impossible to combine work and childcare have actually set up their own business and become self- employed.
Parents are frustrated at the high price of childcare and often choose to remain at home because it is cheaper than returning to work and paying for childcare.

What factors are important when looking at secondary schools?
The biggest factors are proximity to home, exam results, the teachers’ attitudes, recommendations from friends and class sizes.

How do you try and keep the family healthy?
Taking regular exercise and spending lots of time outdoors at parks and taking time in extra curricular activities is the biggest step respondents take towards keep their children healthy. They are also keen to cook fresh food from scratch and avoid processed food.

Why don’t you visit entertainment facilities/attractions more often?
High costs and unsuitable hours deter parents from visiting regularly.

What is important when booking a family holiday?
A good range of activities and a relaxing environment are essential for a good family holiday for this demographic. They hate overcrowding and being over run with other children, preferring lots of open spaces for the children to play.

Where do you book your holiday and why?
Using the internet to book holiday is popular with the use of travel agents dwindling.

 

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