INCOME DIVIDE: BOYS GET MORE MONEY THAN GIRLS
Girls receive 9% less pocket money than boys
Total average pocket money rises 27% to $14 a week
Bye-bye Biebs. Justin Bieber falls out of kids’ top-five favourite celebrities
Apps continue to dominate tablet use with 83% of kids using them
The income divide between males and females starts at an early age with boys getting more pocket money from their parents than girls, Cartoon Network’s leading research study New Generations has found.
While overall pocket money for kids aged between 4 and 14 has rocketed by 27% to an average of $14 a week compared to $11 in 2013, girls receive 9% less than boys. Once paid work and gift money is taken into account boys have an annual income of $574. Despite girls receiving slightly more gift money as well as earning more from paid work, their $560 annual income still falls short to that of boys.
Now in its 11th year, Cartoon Network New Generations, which analyses the media habits and spending power of Australia’s youngest consumers by evaluating 1,001 responses from child and parent pairs, found they now control $1.8 billion in spending a year, up from $1.6 billion in 2013.
“The overall spending power of kids has increased substantially since 2013 but there is still a divide between the total income of boys compared to girls even though girls earn slightly more when it comes to paid work and money given as gifts,” said David Webb, Director of Research and Planning at Cartoon Network’s parent company Turner International Asia Pacific. “The research also shows that boys spend their money on higher value items compared to girls.”
When it comes to their favourite celebrities, teen idol Justin Bieber has had a rapid fall from favour slipping out of the top five for both boys and girls. Katy Perry has taken the top spot from the Biebs for boys, followed by Barcelona and Argentinian soccer star Lionel Messi, Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke, Spider-Man and Batman. Taylor Swift remains the most popular celebrity for girls, followed by One Direction, Elsa from Frozen and Kim Kardashian.
The Cartoon Network New Generations report also shows that kids are increasingly becoming more mobile in how they access the internet. Surveying online users, over a third (37%) of 4 to 14-year-olds use a tablet device and two in 10 via mobile phones – with 14% now owning a smartphone – up 8% from 2013 when the last study was undertaken.
Playing games is still the most popular online leisure activity for kids, followed by watching videos with average daily viewing times increasing to 24 minutes, up by 33% since 2013. Apps continue to dominate tablet use with 83% of kids using them up 20% from the last survey, evident with Cartoon Network apps in the App Store achieving more than half-a-million downloads, holding number one spots in the Top Apps category and recognised for innovation in the App Store’s “Best of” selection.
“As tablet and mobile devices continue to proliferate homes, the way kids access entertainment and games continues to evolve,” said Mr Webb. “We’ve seen a significant shift in the amount of time spent watching online videos because of this, but playing games and the use of apps is still how kids choose to spend the majority of their online leisure time and there’s no indication that this trend will change.”
While digital media consumption is strong, television remains the dominant entertainment and information source for kids, with 85% watching the larger screen. It is also the preferred way for kids to learn about things that interest them in including toys, games, movies and technology. Kids are continuing to watch TV alongside their parents with seven in 10 regularly viewing movies, cartoons and comedy programs with their children in the last week.
“Television is the number one media for kids. Outside of their friendship group it is the most important media when it comes to how they find out about new things that appeal to them. This, coupled with the fact that the majority of kids spend time co-viewing with the household purchasing decision maker every week, means TV is still the most effective advertising medium for reaching this important audience.”
Six top performing and award-winning shows produced by Cartoon Network Studios will return to the channel this year with pop culture phenomenon Adventure Time leading the charge and returning series Regular Show, The Amazing World of Gumball, Steven Universe, Clarence and Uncle Grandpa further establishing Cartoon Network’s position as delivering outstanding content to kids.
About New Generations
New Generations is Cartoon Network’s pioneering and patented kids’ survey to better understand Australian kids’ lifestyle – their values, aspirations, media habits, consumption, pocket money, opinions, preferences and parental influence. Celebrating its 11th edition in Australia, the long established and respected research has interviewed nearly 20,000 child and parent pairs since inception.
