Almost seven in ten children want to be beside the seaside this summer, and most would prefer to go away with family rather than friends
With the summer breakrapidly approaching, children in schools up and down the country will be staring wistfully out of the windows in anticipation of their long break. But what might they be daydreaming about doing in their holidays as they run down the clock on this academic year?
A new YouGov Children’s Omnibus survey among youngsters aged 6 to 15 reveals that – from a list of 16 possible holiday activities – going to a beach is kids' top choice of things to do this summer, with nearly seven in ten (69%) saying they would like to be beside the seaside.
Other top holiday activities include seeing friends (60%), going to a theme park (58%) and going to a water park (56%). Only 18% say they just wanted to stay home and not have to go anywhere this summer.
Many parents across the country will doubtless be exasperated to find that 41% of children say playing video games is one of the things they would most like to do this summer – a higher proportion than would want to go camping or see extended family.
The research revealed a heavy gender divide – boys are more than twice as likely to want to play video games as girls (57% vs 24%) – and for boys, playing video games is the second most popular holiday activity overall.
Going mountain biking was the least popular holiday activity, at 16%, followed by going to a festival (18%) and going on a tour of tourist attractions (21%).
Family, rather than friends, are the preferred holiday companions
In news that will warm the hearts of parents across the land, children of all ages would still much prefer to go on holiday with their family than ditch them for their friends. More than six in ten (62%) would prefer to go on holiday with their family, compared to just 7% who would prefer to go with their friends (28% said both equally).
Even among the oldest children – 14 and 15 year olds – there does not appear to be a particular concern that holidaying with the parents will cramp their style, with a majority (52%-54%) still favouring going on holiday with mum and dad.
Photo: iStockphoto
