2014 Moms

Back-to-School Survey
07.19.14 - 07.20.14

Survey Questions
Requests
1.
2.
3.
4.

5.

Which statement best describes how you are budgeting and/or

saving for the 2014 Back-to-School shopping season?
To what extent do you agree with the statement, The back-to-school
shopping season is a strain on my personal budget?
Will you use a shopping list provided by your school to guide your
purchases of school supplies this year?
To what degree do your children influence your back-to-school
buying decisions in the following categories?
Clothing and footwear
School supplies
Groceries for packed lunches
Which of the following best captures your attitude about
prepackaged school supplies?

Survey Questions (Contd)

Requests
6.

Of these statements, which describe the meal/snack plan for your

child/children this school year? Choose all that apply to at least one
of your children.
7. What will your childs packed lunch contain? Choose all that
apply.
8. Which of the following statements best describes your childs
immediately-after-school eating habits?
9. What are the contents of your child's backpack on a typical school
day? Choose all that apply to at least one of your children.
10. To you, whats the most inconvenient or frustrating part of back-toschool shopping?
11. Take one clear and readable picture of the leftover school supplies.

Methodology

Sample size = 105

Mothers of grade school (K-12) children
Respondents from 12 different states,
each offering a Back-to-School sales tax
holiday

Which statement best describes how you are

budgeting and/or saving for the 2014
Back-to-School shopping season?

I budget and/or save more than six months prior to making purchases
I budget and/or save more than one month prior to making purchases
I budget and/or save less than one month prior to making purchases
I do not budget and/or save for back-to-school

Response
Budget/save more
than one month
Budget/or save less
than one month
Do not budget/save
for BTS
Budget/save more
than six months
Grand Total

Count
41

% of Total

7%

39%
22%

34
23

Budget/save more
than one month
39%

32%

Budget/or save less

than one month

22%

Do not budget/save
for BTS

7%

105

100.0%

32%

Budget/save more
than six months

To what extent do you agree with the statement,

The back-to-school shopping season is a
strain on my personal budget?

Response

Count

% of Total

45%

42%

40%

Strongly agree

29

28%

Agree

44

42%

Neutral

19

18%

35%
30%

28%

25%
18%

20%
15%

Disagree

11

10%

Strongly disagree

2%

10%
10%
5%

2%

0%

Grand Total

105

100.0%

Strongly
agree

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly
disagree

Will you use a shopping list provided by your school to

guide your purchases of school supplies this year?

Response
Yes

Count

% of Total

93

91%

No

9%

Grand Total

102

100.0%

9%

Yes
No

91%

To what degree do your children influence your back-toschool buying decisions in the following categories?

Absolutely do not
influence
Somewhat influence
Strongly influence

100%

5%

80%

37%

11%

8%

48%

60%

64%

40%
58%

20%

44%
25%

0%
Clothing and footwear

Response
Do not influence
Somewhat influence
Strongly influence
Grand Total

Clothing &
footwear
5%
37%
58%
100.0%

School supplies

School supplies
11%
64%
25%
100.0%

Groceries for packed

lunches

Groceries, packed
lunches
8%
48%
44%
100.0%

Which of the following best captures your attitude about

prepackaged school supplies?

I currently don't purchase this way, and I don't want to
I currently don't purchase this way, but I would like to
I currently purchase some or all supplies this way

70%

Response
Don't purchase this
way and don't want
to
Don't purchase this
way but would like
to

Count

% of Total

56

58%

60%
50%
40%

32

33%

30%
20%

Currently purchase
some/all this way

8%

Grand Total

96

100.0%

10%
0%

Don't purchase this Don't purchase this Currently purchase

way and don't want to way but would like to some/all this way

Of these statements, which describe the meal/snack plan

for your child/children this school year? Choose all that
apply to at least one of your children.

Pack a lunch to school

Voluntarily purchase lunches in the cafeteria
Required to purchase lunches in the cafeteria
Take a snack for non-lunch consumption
Take additional money to purchase snacks during non-lunch breaks

Response

60%

Count

% of
Respondents
(n=105)

53%

53%

50%
40%

Pack a lunch

56

53%

Voluntarily purchase
Take money for
snacks

56

53%

20%

27

26%

10%

Take a snack

23

22%

Required to purchase

5%

30%

26%
22%

5%

0%

Pack a lunch Voluntarilty

Take
Take a snack Required to
purchase in additional
purchase
cafeteria
money for
meals
snacks

What will your childs packed lunch contain?

Choose all that apply

Response

Count

% of
Respondents
(n=54)

100%
90%
80%

89%

85%
78%
70%

Fruit

48

89%

70%

Sandwich, meat

46

85%

60%

69%

67%
57%

54%

50%

Salty snacks

42

78%

Dairy-based foods

38

70%

Sandwich, not meat

37

69%

Sweet snacks

36

67%

10%

Vegetables

31

57%

0%

Nuts, nut-based foods

29

54%

Candy, chocolate

15%

40%
30%
20%

15%

Which of the following statements best describes your

childs immediately-after-school eating habits?

Response

Count

% of Total

Eats a light snack

66

65%

Eats a heavy snack

28

27%

1%
7%
Light snack
Heavy snack

27%

Eats meal

Eats a meal

7%

Waits for meal

1%

Grand Total

102

100.0%

65%

Waits for meal

What are the contents of your child's

backpack on a typical school day?
Choose all that apply to at least one of your children.

Response

Count

% of
Respondents
(n=105)

100%
90%

70%

95

90%

Books

92

88%

50%
40%

49

47%

Health, hygiene

42

40%

Phone, comm devices

40

38%

Clothing

26

25%

Non-school reading

19

18%

Toys, games

7%

88%

80%

Writing utensils

Snacks

90%

60%

30%
20%
10%
0%

47%
40%

38%
25%
18%
7%

To you, whats the most inconvenient or frustrating part of

back-to-school shopping?

This was a qualitative, free form
question. Respondents comments
Response
presented four themes: crowds,
searching for supplies/clothes, high
costs, and out-of-stocks. Representative Crowds, long lines
quotes include:
The crazy crowds and lack of
merchandise in stock. It always seems
that my kids' size is never in stock.

Coming up with the money to buy all

the back to school items and clothes!

The school not clearly explaining what

the kids will need, so part of shopping is
guessing and hoping you are correct.
The crowds and stores running out of
items they put on sale very early in the
season.

Count

% of
Respondents
(n=105)

34

32%

Searching for supplies

& clothes

28

27%

High costs

18

17%

Out-of-stocks

9%

35%

32%

30%

27%

25%
20%

17%

15%
9%

10%
5%
0%
Crowds

Searching

Costs

OOS

Take one clear and readable picture of the

leftover school supplies.

Respondents were asked to gather all leftover school supplies from previous
years. They were then asked to take one picture. Several recurring items
appeared in these photos. Sample photos are available on the next slides.

Response
Pencils/Pens
Notepads/Paper
Glue

Count
51
45
27

% of
Respondents
(n=105)

60%

49%
43%
26%

40%

Markers/Highlighters
Crayons

26
21

25%
20%

Folders

21

20%

Erasers

10

10%

Scissors

7%

Rulers

6%

50%

30%
20%
10%
0%

49%
43%

26%

25%
20%

20%
10%

7%

6%

Sample Photos

Sample Photos

Sample Photos