Approximately 80% of Parents in Dual-Income Households with Elementary to High School Children Respond They Want to 'Invest' in Extracurricular Activities that Develop Skills Useful for Their Children's Future Paths and Careers!

Kids Programming Lab Akihabara (operated by LUXGO Inc., Headquarters: Taito-ku, Tokyo, Representative Director: Keigo Nakagawa) conducted a "Survey on Selection Criteria for Children's Extracurricular Activities" targeting parents (men and women in their 30s to 50s) in dual-income households with elementary to high school children. This survey clarified the actual situation of increases and decreases in children's extracurricular activities among parents in dual-income households with elementary to high school children, the criteria they prioritize when choosing extracurricular activities, and their investment intentions for their children's future.

Background

With the arrival of the new school year in spring, many households are reviewing their household budgets and time allocation. Currently, social changes such as the increased burden of education costs due to rising prices and the need to secure pick-up/drop-off times due to the increase in dual-income households are significantly impacting child-rearing households. It is believed that parents are forced to make difficult decisions about which extracurricular activities to continue and which to reduce, based on limited budgets and time. However, while surveys on average costs and popularity rankings of extracurricular activities exist, there is a lack of data showing parents' true feelings and actual situations regarding what criteria they use to select extracurricular activities. Therefore, Kids Programming Lab Akihabara conducted a "Survey on Selection Criteria for Children's Extracurricular Activities" targeting parents in dual-income households with elementary to high school children.

Survey Summary

- More than 55% of parents in dual-income households with elementary to high school children responded that their children attend "1" or "2" extracurricular activities.

- Nearly 60% of parents in dual-income households with elementary to high school children responded that the number of their children's extracurricular activities has "not changed" in the past year.

- The main reasons for parents who responded that they "reduced" the number of their children's extracurricular activities in the past year were "the child themselves lost interest" and "they became busy with academics or other activities."

- The top 3 criteria prioritized by parents who responded that they "increased" the number of their children's extracurricular activities in the past year when choosing activities were: 1st place "the child themselves is interested and enjoys it," tied for 2nd place "affordable cost," and "easy access and low burden for pick-up/drop-off."

- Approximately 70% of parents in dual-income households with elementary to high school children want to concentrate their time and money on specific extracurricular activities within a limited budget and time.

- Approximately 80% of parents in dual-income households with elementary to high school children want to invest in some form of extracurricular activity that develops skills useful for their children's future paths and careers.

Survey Overview

Survey period: April 15-16, 2026

Survey method: Internet survey

Survey target: Parents in dual-income households with elementary to high school children (men and women in their 30s to 50s)

Number of respondents: 440

Monitor provider: RC Research Data

*Since response ratios are rounded to the second decimal place, the total response ratio may not be 100.0%.

More than 55% of parents in dual-income households with elementary to high school children responded that their children attend "1" or "2" extracurricular activities.

First, in response to the question "How many extracurricular activities does your child currently attend?", the results were: 1st place "1" with 35.2%, 2nd place "0" with 30.9%, and 3rd place "2" with 20.7%. The sum of the ratios for 1st and 3rd place is 55.9%, indicating that more than 55% of parents in dual-income households with elementary to high school children responded that their children attend "1" or "2" extracurricular activities.

Nearly 60% of parents in dual-income households with elementary to high school children responded that the number of their children's extracurricular activities has "not changed" in the past year.

Next, in response to the question "Changes in the number of children's extracurricular activities in the past year?", the results were: 1st place "not changed" with 57.7%, 2nd place "originally not doing extracurricular activities" with 22.7%, and 3rd place "reduced" with 11.1%. This result shows that nearly 60% of parents in dual-income households with elementary to high school children responded that the number of their children's extracurricular activities has "not changed" in the past year.

The main reasons for parents who responded that they "reduced" the number of their children's extracurricular activities in the past year were "the child themselves lost interest" and "they became busy with academics or other activities."

Furthermore, for parents who responded that they "reduced" the number of their children's extracurricular activities in the past year, in response to the question "What were the reasons for reducing your child's extracurricular activities?", the results were: 1st place "the child themselves lost interest" with 40.8%, 2nd place "they became busy with academics or other activities" with 34.7%, and 3rd place "to concentrate on other extracurricular activities" with 24.5%. From these results, it is clear that children's extracurricular activities were reduced due to the child's own loss of interest or increased academic/other activity load.