Parents 'Work Through School Holidays'

Culture

Today's parents continue much of their daily lives during their children's school summer holidays, according to new research from MORI.

 

Today's parents continue much of their daily lives during their children's school summer holidays, according to new research from MORI.

The project, for the National Family & Parenting Institute shows that 41% of parents do not go away with their children during the school break and a further eight per cent go away for less than a week.

Fathers have less time than mothers to look after their children as 64% spend three or more weeks of the summer working full-time.

Almost half (46%) of parents say the time they spend with their children during the summer break was about right, however just over a third (34%) say they would like more time.

Technical details

Results are based on interviews with 693 adults aged 15+ living in households with children and/or parents or legal guardians of children aged under 16, or aged 16-19 and in full-time education, in 190 sampling points across Great Britain. Interviews were completed face-to-face in-home between 7 and 12 October 2004. Data are weighted to the national population profile.

Topline Results

  • Results are based on interviews with 693 adults aged 15+ living in households with children and/or parents or legal guardians of children aged under 16, or aged 16-19 and in full-time education, in 190 sample points across Great Britain.
  • Interviews were completed by face-to-face, in-home between 7-12 October 2004
  • Data are weighted to the national population profile
  • A '*' indicates a value of less than half of one per cent, but greater than zero
  • Where results do not sum to 100, this is due to computer rounding or multiple answers
  • Base: Adults aged 15+, living with children aged under 16 in the household and/or Parents or legal guardians of children aged under 16, or aged 16-19 and in full-time education (693), unless otherwise specified

Q1 What, if anything, were the best things about the school or college summer holidays this year?Base: Households with children aged under 16 and / or Parents and legal guardians of children aged under 16 or 16-19 and in full-time education (693).

  %
Spending more time with children 23
Holidays 20
Children could relax / Less pressure on children / Less homework / No exams 9
More time for children to do their own thing 6
Children could spend more time outdoors 5
Parents could relax / Less pressure on us/parents 5
Good activities for children 4
Time off work 4
Less traffic / Fewer cars / No 'school run' 4
Weather / Nice weather / Sunshine 3
Spending more time with partner 2
Fewer family arguments 1
Reasonable cost of entertaining children *
 
Other 12
Nothing 20
Don't know 14

Q2 What, if any, were the worst things about the school or college summer holidays this year?

  %
Bad weather / rain 20
Children being bored 14
Not enough for children to do / Finding things for children to do 9
Cost/expense of children's activities / childcare 8
Not enough time with children 4
Lack of money / Lack of money to go on holiday 4
Worry about juggling work, childcare, activities and holidays 3
Worry about children spending time outside on own or with friends 2
Inflexibility at work 2
Lack of good childcare / Hard to find good childcare 2
More family arguments 2
Health problems 1
 
Other 16
Nothing 23
Don't know 13

Q3 What, if anything, would improve school summer holidays for your family?

  %
More choice of activities for children 18
Better weather 16
Shorter school holidays 15
Less expensive activities for children 11
More money / Having more money to pay for childcare / holidays 8
More time off work for me / the parents 8
Safer places for children to play outside on own or with friends 5
Longer family holidays 4
More choice of childcare 3
Less expensive childcare 2
 
Other 12
Nothing 18
Don't know 12

Q4 Using the card, please could you tell me how much time, if any, you personally spent during the school or college summer holidays doing each of the following activities. Firstly...?

  1. None
  2. Less than one week (Up to 6 days)
  3. One week (7 days)
  4. More than one week but less than two weeks (8 days to 13 days)
  5. Two weeks (14 days)
  6. More than two weeks but less than three weeks (15 days to 20 days)
  7. Three weeks (21 days)
  8. More than three weeks (22 days or more)
  9. No opinion / Don't know
  a b c d e f g h i
  % % % % % % % % %
...Paid full-time work 48 2 1 1 2 1 3 36 5
...Paid part-time work 77 3 2 2 1 1 1 7 7
...Caring for, or looking after, relatives (other than your children) 78 5 3 1 1 1 1 4 6
...Caring for, or looking after, your children 27 4 4 2 8 2 5 41 7
...Studying 81 4 2 1 1 1 1 3 7
...Time with your children, on a family holiday away from home. By 'family holiday' I mean a trip or holiday lasting 3 days or more 41 8 15 4 16 3 3 4 6

Q5 What, if anything, did you personally do with your child or children during the school summer holiday?

  %
Go on day trips/Go to the seaside/theme parks 55
Go to a/the park 49
Go to a swimming pool 44
Have friends round 48
Stay at home and play 50
Visit a museum/museums 17
Visit the cinema 36
Use the computer/Play computer games 37
Play sports activities/games 40
Homework or study/Reading 30
Watch TV/Videos/DVDs together 56
 
Other 7
None of these 13
Don't know 4

Q6 It is often not possible for parents to spend as much time as they would like with their children during school summer holidays, for whatever reason. If this applies in your case, could you tell me what, if anything, your... oldest child / youngest child / child ...does when you cannot be with them during the school summer holidays?Base: Those with children in the household

  Oldest Child Youngest Child Child
Base: (334) (334) (299)
  % % %
Booked into an activity 6 4 8
Friends took care of children 7 7 6
Had paid work 2 1 4
Looked after by a childminder, nanny or au pair 3 4 4
Looked after by grandparents 21 21 16
Looked after by other relatives (not parents or grandparents) 7 8 7
Mother / father took time off work / Worked / stayed at home 13 14 10
Stayed at home on their own 11 4 6
Stayed at home with friends 8 5 9
Studied / attended summer school 3 3 2
Went to nursery or play centre 2 3 3
 
Nothing 4 4 3
Other 3 2 2
Does not apply to me 39 40 45
Don't know 2 4 3

Q7 Would you have liked to have spent more, or less, time with your children over the school or college summer holidays, or was the time about right?

  %
Much more time 20
A little more time 14
About right 46
A little less time 5
Much less time 1
 
More time 34
Less time 6
Don't know 13

Q8 How concerned are you, if at all, about your child / children getting into mischief or trouble when spending time on their own or with friends outside the home (e.g. in parks, in your local area)?Base: Adults aged 15+ who have children in the household aged 8-15 years and / or parents / legal guardians of children aged 16-19 and in full-time education (428)

  %
Very concerned 19
Fairly concerned 24
Not very concerned 23
Not at all concerned 24
 
Very / fairly concerned 43
Not very / Not at all concerned 47
Don't know 10

Q9 During the school or college summer holidays, as far as you know, which of these statements, if any, applies to... your child / any of your children?Base: Adults aged 15+ who have children in the household aged 8-15 years and / or parents / legal guardians of children aged 16-19 and in full-time education (428)

  %
Got bullied / threatened / mugged by older children 9
Got told off by an adult (excluding relatives) whilst outside the home 10
Got asked to stop whatever he or she was doing (e.g. skateboarding) 5
Got asked to move away from wherever he or she was (e.g. in the park) 4
Got asked to leave any premises (e.g. cafes, cinema) 2
Got involved in any incidents where the police were called 2
Got into mischief / trouble 5
 
None of these 75
Don't know 3

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