Most Parents Loosen Rules for Children's Media Consumption During the Summer

NEW YORK, Aug. 24, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Ah, summer; a time when kids spend their days playing sports and games outside and visiting local pools and beaches.  But, with all the various forms of media now available, are these quintessential summer images still accurate?  Many parents of those 17 or younger and living at home say their children consume various types of media more, including watching television and playing video games, during the summer months.  

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100517/NY06256LOGO)

In fact, almost half of parents say their children consume more television (49%) and video games (46%) in the summer, with a quarter saying their children consume much more of these types of media and entertainment during the summer (23% and 24%).  One in six or less say their children consume less of these types of media in the summer (16% and 13%) while three in ten say the amount consumed is neither more nor less in the summer than at other times of the year (29% and 27%).  This same trend holds for Internet use and watching movies – 44%-45% of parents say that their children do more of these activities in the summer, compared to 13% and 14% who say they do less.

These are some of the findings of a recent Adweek/Harris Poll survey of 2,950 U.S. adults surveyed online between August 5 and 9, 2011 by Harris Interactive.

In addition to school being out, does anything else affect a child's media consumption in the summer?  Almost six in ten parents say they loosen the rules during the summer, allowing their kids more freedom (57%) to consume various types of media.  One quarter of parents say they do not loosen media consumption rules in the summer (26%) and fewer say that they do not have any rules for their children's media consumption at all (17%).  While dads and moms are equally likely to loosen (56% vs. 57%) or not loosen (27% vs. 25%) the rules for their children's media consumption in the summer, there are noticeable differences by region:

• Six in ten parents in the Midwest, South and West (58%-59%) say they loosen the rules for their child's media consumption in summer, compared to just 40% of parents in the Northeast who say the same; and,
• Parents in the Midwest and South are most likely to say that they do not have any rules for their children's media consumption (21% and 20%) compared to fewer parents in the West (14%) and Northeast (11%).

So What?

Summer is traditionally seen as a time to unwind, increase recreational activities and possibly get outdoors.  But for many youths it seems that this recreational time may include many indoor activities, centered on media and technology.  And, according to the survey, very large numbers of youth have the necessary personal technology devices to facilitate these activities—70% of parents of children 17 or younger living at home say their child has a handheld gaming device, 59% say their child has a television in their bedroom and 52% say their child has their own personal computer.  

Methodology

This Adweek/Harris Poll was conducted online within the United States between August 5 and 9, 2011 among 2,950 adults (aged 18 and over). Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Where appropriate, this data were also weighted to reflect the composition of the adult online population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online.

All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, Harris Interactive avoids the words "margin of error" as they are misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this ideal.

Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in Harris Interactive surveys. The data have been weighted to reflect the composition of the adult population. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to participate in the Harris Interactive panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

The results of this Harris Poll may not be used in advertising, marketing or promotion without the prior written permission of Harris Interactive.

The Harris Poll® #93, August 24, 2011

By Samantha Braverman, Sr. Project Researcher, Harris Interactive

About Harris Interactive

Harris Interactive is one of the world's leading custom market research firms, leveraging research, technology, and business acumen to transform relevant insight into actionable foresight. Known widely for the Harris Poll and for pioneering innovative research methodologies, Harris offers expertise in a wide range of industries including healthcare, technology, public affairs, energy, telecommunications, financial services, insurance, media, retail, restaurant, and consumer package goods. Serving clients in over 215 countries and territories through our North American, European, and Asian offices and a network of independent market research firms, Harris specializes in delivering research solutions that help us – and our clients – stay ahead of what's next. For more information, please visit www.harrisinteractive.com.

About Adweek

Adweek relaunched in April 2011 as a single news source covering the intersection of advertising, media, marketing and technology. The new Adweek unites all of these disciplines through the magazine's bold opinion pieces, enhanced data mining, trends, and behind-the-scenes coverage, as well as a freshly designed Adweek.com with breaking news all day, added video content, new columns and editorial franchises, social media integration and an editorial archive.  With celebrated columnist, book author, and commentator Michael Wolff at the helm as Editorial Director, Adweek will bring its journalistic prowess and integrity to subjects formerly covered by Adweek, Brandweek and Mediaweek.  Adweek will continue to provide experiential opportunities for the industry through conferences, events, honors, and awards.

Adweek is owned by Prometheus Global Media, a diversified company with leading assets in the media and entertainment arenas, including: Music (Billboard and its related conferences and events, including The Billboard Latin Music Awards), Entertainment (The Hollywood Reporter, Backstage, ShowEast, Cineasia, and CineEurope); and Advertising & Marketing (Adweek, Adweek Conferences and The CLIO Awards).

Press Contact:
Corporate Communications
Harris Interactive
212-539-9600
[email protected]

SOURCE Harris Interactive