16 guests, 9 presents, 3 hours: Kids’ birthday parties by the numbers

This story version has been formatted as an on-air script for broadcast outlets. See the original research story here.

THREE IN FOUR PARENTS SAY IT TAKES A LOT TO IMPRESS THEIR KIDS ON THEIR BIRTHDAYS, ACCORDING TO A NEW STUDY.

ONEPOLL AND KINDER JOY SURVEYED 2,000 PARENTS WITH CHILDREN AGES 3–12 ON HOW THEY GO ABOUT PLANNING BIRTHDAY PARTIES.

THE RIGHT GUEST LIST (58%), ACTIVITIES (58%) AND TREATS (58%) ARE AMONG PARENTS’ ABSOLUTE MUST-HAVES TO MAKE THE PARTY A SUCCESS. 

RESULTS SHOW THE AVERAGE PARTY INVOLVES 16 GUESTS, NINE PRESENTS AND THREE HOURS OF CELEBRATION.

NEARLY FOUR IN FIVE (78%) PARENTS ADMIT THEY PUT A LOT OF PRESSURE ON THEMSELVES TO MAKE THEIR KID’S BIRTHDAY PARTIES AS AMAZING AS THEY CAN BE.

PARENTS’ STRESSORS WHEN PLANNING KIDS’ BIRTHDAY PARTIES

• Having enough time to plan it - 55%
• Keeping it affordable - 55%
• Figuring out what foods to serve - 52%
• Figuring out the guest list - 51%
• Figuring out how much food to serve - 47%
• Creating a party my kid will enjoy - 43%
• Picking a theme - 37%
• Not having enough help to plan/decorate - 31%
• Finding a venue - 21%

Survey methodology:

This random double-opt-in survey of 2,000 parents of kids ages 3–12 who have birthday parties was commissioned by Kinder Joy between November 2 and November 9, 2022. It was conducted by market research company OnePoll, whose team members are members of the Market Research Society and have corporate membership to the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) and the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR).