How do kids influence household purchase decisions around the world?

A new Viacom Global Insights project, Kid Power, sought to answer that question, spanning 30 countries to speak to 4,900 kids aged 6 to 11, as well as 4,100 of their parents. Here are some key insights that this study revealed:

Today, everyone pitches in to keep family households running – including kids! Nearly 7 in 10 parents say their kids help at home (69%). According to parents, kids’ most common tasks are cooking/shopping/cleaning (42%) and childcare (37%).

Most kids are involved in household purchases – and their leverage increases at age 10. About three-quarters of kids and parents agree that kids have a role in buying things for the household (74% kids, 77% parents). Starting at age 10, kids’ opinions hold more sway.

Both genders have equal persuasion. Parents take boys’ and girls’ preferences into account across many areas: clothing/shoe purchases (82% boys, 88% girls), music to play (77% boys, 83% girls), tablet purchases (58% boys, 55% girls), and new cars (36% boys, 31% girls).

Kids with the most influence: single children, two full-time working parents, in urban areas. The power of kids fitting these descriptions will likely increase because global trends are on their side: families are getting smaller, dual-earner couples are on the rise, and the experience of childhood is increasingly urban.

Categories that kids influence the most: entertainment, groceries, restaurants, electronics. Virtually all kids play a role in decision-making processes at home (98%). The largest percentages of kids say they influence decisions around entertainment (97%), food/groceries (94%), restaurants (84%), electronics (82%), vacation (76%), and telecom/pay TV/SVOD (52%). The specific areas where their input is most powerful are toys (90%), TV/movies at home (88%), clothes (85%), movies at the cinema (83%), and snacks (83%).