Back-to-School 2024: More Expensive than Ever? New Abacus Data Poll
From July 31 to August 7, 2024, Abacus Data conducted a national survey of 1,550 adults exploring several topics related to Canadian politics and current events as part of our regular national omnibus surveys.
In this survey, we asked 239 back-to-school shoppers about their budgets and how they are feeling as the school year approaches and compared the results to last year.
On average, each Canadian shopper will be spending approximately $304.4 on back-to-school shopping this year ($20 more than in 2023). On average, those with more than one child will be spending approximately $60 more on back-to-school shopping than those with only one kid. Given that the average typical spend on one child is over $277, it is evident that many of those shopping for more than one child are doing so with a similar budget as those shopping for one, likely finding ways to cut back or find efficiencies.
Compared with 2023, those who say they will be spending more this year on back-to-school necessities has doubled. This reflects how rising prices continue to impact consumer spending.
Most back-to-school shoppers will have to budget their spending this year. Over half of back-to-school shoppers (56%) will have to budget their shopping this year, with 15% shopping beyond their means in order to purchase all of the needed supplies (+5 from 2023). 4% (or approximately 1.6 million Canadians) are certain that they will not be able to afford all of the necessary supplies their child(ren) needs.
When asked to consider how different factors are impacting their back-to-school budget this year, inflation, and the cost of other essentials (such as food and housing) continue to have the biggest impact on their budgets. 76% of back-to-school shoppers feel the cost of other essentials is having a major impact on their budget (+6 from 2023), and 81% feel the same way about Inflation (+5 from 2023).
In order to mitigate some of these concerns, many Canadians will be taking advantage of promotions, loyalty programs, and sales while back-to-school shopping. Only 13% of Canadian back-to-school shoppers do not plan on taking advantage of these offers.
- 71% will be taking advantage of in-store or online discounts, promotions, and sales.
- 45% plan on using their credit card or store points that they have earned throughout the year
- 16% will be using pay later payment plans such as PayBright, Afterpay, Klarna, etc.
However, even with these payment options and promotions, only three-quarters of Canadians (74%) are confident that they will be able to purchase all of the materials and supplies their child(ren) needs for this upcoming school year (-2 from 2023). Of those who are not feeling confident, half are certain that they will not be able to afford everything their child(ren) needs, while the other half remains uncertain. This represents over 9 million Canadians who are not confident that they will be able to afford everything their child(ren) needs for the upcoming school year.
Upshot
With the cost of living and inflation being top-of-mind concerns for many Canadians, back-to-school shopping is more daunting than ever before. And, with a sizeable number of Canadians concerned that they will not be able to afford all the supplies their child needs, many may look for assistance from back-to-school supply drives. No student should be limited by their parent’s income, especially when it comes to their education. That’s why it is more important than ever that those in more fortunate circumstances give back to their community and help ensure every child arrives on their first day of school, fully prepared for the school year ahead.
Here at Abacus Data, we have chosen to donate extra school supplies to the Start2Finish Backpack drive, which provides vital school supplies to thousands of kids who begin the school year without the proper essentials.
Methodology
The survey was conducted with 1,550 Canadian adults from July 31 to August 7, 2024. A random sample of panelists were invited to complete the survey from a set of partner panels based on the Lucid exchange platform. These partners are typically double opt-in survey panels, blended to manage out potential skews in the data from a single source.
The margin of error for a comparable probability-based random sample of the same size is +/- 2.489%, 19 times out of 20.
The data were weighted according to census data to ensure that the sample matched Canada’s population according to age, gender, educational attainment, and region. Totals may not add up to 100 due to rounding.
This survey was paid for by Abacus Data Inc.
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