|
Average spent by
parents on each child during the June school break
|
|
Below $100
|
31.9%
|
|
$100 - $199
|
21.2%
|
|
$200 - $499
|
16.9%
|
|
$500 - $999
|
8.6%
|
|
$1,000 - $1,999
|
2.1%
|
|
$2,000 and above
|
2.5%
|
|
Not sure
|
16.8%
|
|
|
Source:
sg.acnielsen.com |
|
We Know What You Did Last June School Break:
ACNielsen Survey |
|
One in three students worked part-time and the
majority entertained themselves with friends or amused themselves at
home |
|
|
The majority of full-time, school students
aged 15 years and above are left to their own devices during school
holidays, according to latest research from ACNielsen Research
Singapore. |
|
A recent ACNielsen survey found that the
most popular school holiday pastime Singaporean full-time students
indulged in was getting together with friends (70%), and entertaining
themselves at home with computer games and the internet (68%). |
|
A similar trend was also found for the
school break last December, where 64 percent and 69 percent respectively
entertained themselves in this way. |
|
A significant proportion of students are
apparently keen to earn their own keep, according to ACNielsen. |
|
While one-third made use of the June school
break to earn extra pocket money, the figure was higher in December last
year, where more than four in 10 took on part-time jobs ¨C possibly
because there are greater part-time work opportunities during the
festive season. |
|
Among other activities that occupied their
time were school-organised activities, overseas vacations¡ªwith
family/relatives (14%), and with friends (13%), as well as a minority
(3%) who attended short-term courses. |
|
So how much effort do parents put in to
ensure quality time spent with, and by their kids during their
month-long mid-year vacation? |
|
When it comes to how parents organised
themselves around their children, 37 percent of those surveyed admitted
they did nothing special. |
|
However, 36 percent and 33 percent
respectively did make the extra effort to ensure quality time through
organising either local activities or overseas vacations with their
family. |
|
And school holidays obviously don¡¯t come
cheap! With all the local and overseas activities children and parents
engage in, expenses are likely to shoot up during this period of time. |
|
¡°Based on our survey, while most parents
spent less than $200 on each child during the June break, a very
generous minority of five percent splashed out more than $1,000,¡±
commented Mr Ashok Charan, Managing Director of ACNielsen Research
Singapore. |
|
Besides expenses for organised activities,
one in two children received weekly ¡®pocket money¡¯ from their parents of
about $30 per week on average. However, the majority of parents claimed
that they do not give any allowances or are not sure of the amount they
give their children during the school break. |
|
¡°The bulk of expenses parents incurred
during school breaks relates to overseas trips,¡± said Mr Charan. ¡°Where
family trips took place in June, 36.3 percent of parents indicated that
they spent over $1,000 per head.¡± (Chart
3) |
|
However, compared to last December, the
incidence of overseas travel is much lower this June, which could
possibly be due to the relatively shorter mid-year break. |
|
ACNielsen survey findings showed that the
most visited overseas destination by Singaporeans in June, not
surprisingly, was Malaysia, where half of the Singaporean population who
travelled overseas visited the country. The other top holiday
destinations were Thailand (16%), followed by China (10%). |
|
It is interesting to note that the top three
holiday destinations for Singaporeans in June¡ªMalaysia, Thailand, and
China¡ªeach have a much favorable exchange rate vis-¨¤-vis Singapore,¡±
said Mr Charan. |
|
The survey on school holiday activities was
conducted at the end of June 2005 through the ACNielsen CATI Omnibus, a
monthly telephone survey interviewing 1,000 people aged 15+
representative of the Singapore population. |
|
More..... (Charts) |
|
About ACNielsen |
|
ACNielsen, a VNU business, is the world's
leading marketing information provider. Offering services in more than
100 countries, the unit provides measurement and analysis of marketplace
dynamics and consumer attitudes and behavior. |
|
Clients rely on ACNielsen's market research,
proprietary products, analytical tools and professional service to
understand competitive performance, to uncover new opportunities and to
raise the profitability of their marketing and sales campaigns. To learn
more, visit www.acnielsen.com.
|
|
Source:
sg.acnielsen.com Press Release
15 Aug 2005 |
|
 |
|
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