Entertainment Magazine

What Kids Want: 2004 Holiday Wish List Revealed

Kids Eliminate Guesswork With Insights on What to Get and Where

CHICAGO, Nov. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Electronic gadgetry will be lighting up the tree this holiday season, if kids' holiday wishes come true.

According to the annual KidzEyes Holiday Wish List and Habits survey, 39 percent of kids said electronics -- such as computers, video game systems and games, televisions and more -- are the best kind of present to get.

Money was second best (28 percent) followed by the must-have gift of yesteryear -- traditional toys (20 percent).

Clothes (13 percent) were a distant fourth.

Electronics have held the "best to get" slot for the past several years with increasing popularity.

It's not just what to get kids but where. According to the KidzEyes survey, kids prefer their parents shop for all their holiday gifts at a general merchandise store (39 percent).

Electronics stores rank second (32 percent) followed by toy stores (25 percent). Wherever they shop, kids are hoping mom does most of the shopping. When it comes to having the best idea for gifts, 81 percent of kids said mom definitely knows best.

The KidzEyes Holiday Wish List & Habits survey -- conducted annually by KidzEyes, a specialized youth market research division of C&R Research -- uncovers kids' holiday wants, habits and perceptions.

"Our annual Holiday Wish List and Habits survey gets at the heart of what kids are wishing for during the holidays," said Robbin Jaklin, president, C&R Research. "The results are always interesting and offer a glimpse of what makes the season sparkle from a kids'-eye view."

The annual KidzEyes Holiday Wish List and Habits survey unwrapped a variety of interesting findings -- here's a look at what kids said:

Gifts

Show me the money...Kids said they would rather get a gift certificate they can spend themselves (64 percent) versus a gift that someone chose for them.

It's on the list ... Forty percent of kids want to put a cell phone on
their wish list. Other electronics to hit the list include: a video game
system (37 percent), computer software games (36 percent), a computer (35
percent), a digital camera (33 percent), a DVD player (32 percent) and a
camera phone (31 percent).

Best for boys ... Boys power the drive for electronics - 54 percent versus
only 24 percent of girls.

Girly gifts ... Girls and boys have different ideas about gifts. Girls
want toys (26 percent versus 15 percent of boys), money (34 percent versus
28 percent of boys) and clothes (15 percent versus 3 percent of boys).

Age appropriate gifts ... Only kids between the ages of 6-8 said the best
kind of present is toys (52 percent). Teens between the ages of 15-17
feel money is the best kind of present (47 percent). Electronics are most
popular among 9-12-year-olds only.

Spending Spree

Big spenders ... Thirty-seven percent of kids think their parents will
spend more than $200 on them for the holidays. A relative few (18
percent) think they'll spend between $51-$100 and only four percent think
it will be under $25.

Buying frenzy ... On average, nine is the number of gifts the 89 percent
of kids who say that they will buy, not just make, gifts, will purchase
this holiday season.

Money bags ... Nearly half of kids (47 percent) who buy gifts will spend
between $10-20 per gift.

Top dollar ... Kids who buy gifts will spend the most on mom (43 percent).
Kids plan to spend more on siblings (16 percent) than dad (10 percent) and
friends (9 percent).

Holiday Habits

I'd do that ... Kids will do most anything to get their number one gift
this year. Forty-five percent of kids said they would do their chores
without being asked, donate an old toy to charity (30 percent) or eat
veggies without complaining (15 percent).

Shopping partners... Among kids who buy, not just make, gifts, the
majority (74 percent) go shopping for holiday gifts with their mom or dad.
Even teens - with 52 percent between the ages of 15-17 saying so.

Little savers ... Forty-one percent of kids said they save the money they
get as gifts.

Post holiday spree ... Half of kids who receive money as a gift said they
spend it during January and February.

Wish Lists

Making a list ... Seventy-seven percent of kids make a holiday wish list,
with kids between the ages of 9-11 the mostly likely to do so (84
percent). Girls are more prolific in the list department with 82 percent
making a list versus 72 percent of boys.

Give thanks for toys ... Of those who make wish lists, nearly half (47
percent) of kids surveyed said they make their list beginning Thanksgiving
weekend and beyond. A mere eight percent are thinking of what to put on
their list when school starts.

Eight is enough?... Of those kids who make wish lists, 38 percent will put
six to 10 items on their wish list this year. Less than one quarter of
kids (21 percent) will only put one to five items on their list. A
hopeful nine percent have a long list featuring more than 25 gifts.

Checking it twice ... Of kids who make wish lists, 40 percent will change
it once or twice. A confident 22 percent said they won't make any changes
while 20 percent will change it four or more times. Girls are more fickle
with 24 percent changing their list four or more times versus only 16
percent of boys.

Hot Shops

Parents' workshops ... Girls overwhelmingly want their parents to shop at
a general merchandise store (51 percent). For boys general merchandise
and electronics stores tied (37 percent).

Best in electronics ... Of those kids who want their parents to do all
their holiday shopping at an electronics store, Best Buy is the most
popular choice with 74 percent.

On target?... Among kids who want their parents to do all their shopping
at a general merchandiser, Wal-Mart was named by 61 percent of kids as the
store they would most like their parents to shop for them. Target was a
distant second with 33 percent.

KidzEyes, a specialty research service of C&R Research, conducted the online Holiday Wish List and Habits survey in two phases, the first wave between September 16-22, 2004 and the second wave between October 25-31, 2004.

The information is based on a national sampling of boys and girls between the ages of 6-17 who are members of the KidzEyes online panel. The first wave of the study yielded 2,052 completed surveys, and of these same respondents, the second wave yielded 1,632 completed surveys.

The margin of error in the first wave is +/- 2.2 percent and in the second wave is +/- 2.4 percent.

Based in Chicago, C&R Research is a leading market research firm. KidzEyes is one of several specialized services of C&R Research. Using state- of-the-art, kid-friendly innovations such as the KidzEyes online panel of more than 14,000 kids, KidzEyes keeps pace with the rapidly evolving children's market and offers clients a kids'-eye view of the world. Other KidzEyes services include a variety of traditional quantitative and qualitative approaches including monthly online omnibus services. To request more information about KidzEyes call 1-800-KidzEyes (1-800-543-9393) or visit http://www.crresearch.com/ or http://www.kidzeyesomnibus.com/.

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