Survey reveals how parents are investing in their children’s future
With Alistair Darling set to announce the new Budget tomorrow and the cost of raising a child in the UK soaring to more than £186,000, new survey findings announced by popular preschool TV channel Nick Jr discover how today’s parents are saving for their offspring’s future – or whether they are at all. Nick Jr’s study of over 800 parents found that almost two fifths are not actively saving for their children’s future (37.1%). Over half of all families questioned from the North East admitted they weren’t saving, whilst Londoners were most likely to be investing in one way or another.
With private schooling setting back parents up to £130,500 and the cost of sending a child to university typically reaching £47,000, education is unsurprisingly the biggest financial concern, with 23.8% of UK parents saving for school or university fees.
The survey revealed that Dads and more likely than Mums to prefer riskier investment options, putting their money into stocks and shares (14.6%) and property (9.8%). These choices were also favoured by younger parents, who were additionally by far the most likely to invest in a child pension (44.4%).
6.3% of parents are opting to save for their child’s first car, especially those parents in older age groups. Families living in Wales were also over four times as likely to invest for their offspring’s first set of wheels (10.3%) as those in the South West (2.4%), where they were least likely to be saving for their child’s first car. Only one in ten parents in Wales are saving for educational fees, compared with almost a third of parents in London and Northern regions.
Parents from Yorkshire are the least likely to invest in stocks and shares, at only 2.5% of those questioned. Property investments are popular with Londoners (26.6%), but parents in the North West and Wales are less likely to put their children’s money into this volatile market (2.7% and 2.6% respectively).
In December it was found that the average cost of raising a child in the UK from birth to the age of 21 had soared to £186,032, which is set to rise to £265,500 in 2012.
However despite parents investing increasing amounts of money on their children’s welfare, only 44.3% of those surveyed felt that their children have more opportunities in life than they did.
“These findings are really interesting as they show the various ways in which today’s parents are considering the financial future for their children”, says Howard Litton, Managing Director of Nickelodeon UK. “Becoming a parent makes you re-evaluate your lifestyle and whether it’s the best it possibly can be for your child.”
The Nick Jr survey results in full: In which of the following ways are you preparing for your child’s future?
37.1% none
23.8% I save for university/school fees
21.5% I save up to £200 a year
16.4% other
11.7% I invest in stocks and shares for my children
8.4% I have invested in a child pension
7.5% I invest in property
6.3% I am saving for my child’s first car
About Nick Jr:
Nick Jr. is the UK’s number one rating commercial preschool TV channel. Launched by Nickelodeon UK in 1999, it was the world’s first channel dedicated to preschool children and broadcasts hit shows including Dora the Explorer, Peppa Pig and LazyTown. In 2005, it was named Best Specialist Channel at the inaugural Broadcast Digital Channel Awards.
Nickelodeon UK comprises five dedicated award-winning entertainment channels for kids aged 2-12: Nickelodeon, NickToons, Nick Jr., Nick Jr. 2 and Nick Replay. Launched in 1993, Nickelodeon UK is a joint venture between MTV and BSkyB Networks and has consistently rated as the number 1 commercial kids’ TV network in the UK. The Nickelodeon channels are available in over 11 million cable & satellite homes.
译文:
父母如何投资着孩子的未来
调查显示父母如何投资着孩子的未来
随着达林明天开始公布新预算，英国培养一个孩子的花费剧增到18.6万英镑，受欢迎的学龄前电视频道Nick Jr公布的新调查发现今天的父母如何为他们的后代的未来存储---或者他们是根本。Nick Jr对800多位父母进行调查，发现几乎2／5（37.1%）的人没有积极地为他们孩子的未来进行储蓄。一半以上来自英国东北部被调查到的家庭承认他们没有存，然而伦敦人很有可能从一种或多种渠道去对孩子进行投资。
私立学校花费父母的钱达到13.05万英镑，供一个孩子上大学通常要花费4.7英镑，教育经费不足为奇是最大的财政忧虑。有23.8%的英国父母正在积累孩子上学或上大学的学费。
这项调查显示爸爸比妈妈更倾向于比较有风险的投资，他们把钱投资到证券﹑股票（14.6%）和房地产（9.8%）中。这些选择也受到了年轻父母的青睐，他们是到现在为止最可能去投资儿童基金。
6.3%的父母选择为他们孩子的第一辆车存钱，特别是比较老的父母。想要为自己后代投资买第一辆车的家庭在威尔士（10.3%）比在英国西南地区家庭（2.4%），即最不想为自己孩子第一辆车储蓄的家庭的4倍还多，。在威尔士，只有1∕10的父母正在为教育经费而攒钱，相比之下，伦敦和英国南部地区却有差不多1∕3的父母这样做。
来自约克郡的父母是最不可能投资证券和股票的，他们只占了被调查人数的2.5%。房地产投资在伦敦人中很流行（26.6%），但来自西北地区和威尔士的父母比较不可能把用于孩子的钱放到这种反复无常的市场中（分别占2.7%和2.6%）。
12月份的调查发现，在英国培养一个从出生到21岁的孩子的平均花费升到18.6032万英镑，这将在2012年升到26.55万英镑。
然而，即使父母投资在孩子福利的钱在不断增加，只有44.3%的调查者觉得孩子们在人生中比自己有更多的机会。
“这些发现确实有趣，它们给我们展示了今天的父母为孩子的财政未来考虑的各种各样的方式。” Nickelodeon UK的常务理事爱德华利登说。“成为父母让你重新评估自己的生活方式和此种生活方式对自己的孩子来说是不是最好的。”
Nick Jr的全部调查结果：你将会用下面哪种方式为你的孩子做准备呢?
37.1% 不做任何准备
23.8% 为大学费用或学费攒钱
21.5% 每年存200英镑
16.4% 用其他方式
11.7% 为自己孩子投资证券和股票
8.4% 已经投资儿童基金
7.5% 投资房产
6.3% 正在为孩子的第一辆车攒钱
关于Nick Jr:
Nick Jr是英国排名第一的商业学龄前电视频道。Nickelodeon UK创立于1999年，它是世界上第一个服务于学龄前儿童的频道，广播热门秀包括Dora the Explorer, Peppa Pig and LazyTown。2005年它在首届数字广播频道颁奖礼中被评为最佳专业频道。
Nickelodeon UK包括五个专门为2-12岁孩子的获奖的娱乐频道：尼克罗迪恩， 尼克通 ，初级尼克，初级尼克2和尼克重放。创立于1993年，Nickelodeon UK是音乐电视和英国天空广播公司网络合资企业，一直是英国名列第一的儿童商业网络电视。Nickelodeon的频道通过电缆和卫星传给1100万多户家庭。