Survey finds US kids also worried about economy

November 26, 2008 by Emily Claire Afan

It seems that adults aren’t the only ones thinking about the effects of the rough economic climate, as kids worry about how it’ll affect Christmas.

A new survey from Philadelphia-based youth opinion research company Node Research found 84% of the 2,500 American kids surveyed between the ages of nine and 17 are very or somewhat worried about the current economic climate, and that more than half are expecting the conditions to affect the number of Christmas gifts under the tree.

A full 51% of respondents expect to receive fewer gifts this holiday than last year, and a whopping 90% of that number is worried about the economy. Meanwhile, 70% of kids who aren’t worried actually expect more or the same amount of gifts this year.

Meanwhile, Node has also tracked kids holiday wish lists since 2004 and found that the Nintendo Wii topped the list for the third year in a row for boys, though it’s also moving up on girls’ lists, coming only second to an iPod and followed by money and clothes. Second to the Wii for boys is money and the Xbox 360. The average wish list for 10-year-olds totals up to US$794 worth of goods at current retail prices.