What Do Kids Do on Saturdays? Insight into How Race and Income Impact Children’s Leisure Time

How parents allocate leisure time can have profound effects on their children’s enrichment and social adjustment later in life. The lessons learned on the soccer field are different from those learned at a local community center class, and if children in every socioeconomic group are to be equally equipped, they need to have access to both. According to a recent study from The Annals of the Political Academy of American and Social Science, policy makers need to focus on ways to make activities more inclusive of children from different socioeconomic groups. Through an examination of trends in demographic groups’ choice of leisure activities for their children, the researchers identify ways to improve access and participation for children from all backgrounds.

In the study, the authors examine how children spend their Saturdays in Phoenix, Arizona. Based on a sample of data collected from 1,036 random digit-dialed phone surveys, they evaluated whether children between the ages of five and 12 participated in activities at a government organization, nonprofit, congregation, or for profit business. They then compared their families’ income level and race to their choice of activity provider based on a regression analysis of the data. The researchers’ findings show a correlation between parents’ choice of activity venues for their children and their income and race.

According to the data, people with higher income more often participate in activities at nonprofits and for profit businesses. Contrastingly, families with lower incomes tend to enroll their children in activities at government run or congregational organizations. Non-white Hispanic families more often engage in government or congregational activities regardless of income level.

The authors note that a number of reasons could account for these alignments, including location of the activities, cost barriers involved at for profit and nonprofit centers, and preferences of the groups considered.

Additionally, they hypothesize that certain nonprofit and for profit centers may value exclusivity to keep participation rates among upper income families high, and thus discourage low-income members of the community from participating in their programs. Upper middle class families may also perceive activities from government organizations as less desirable because so many people participate in them, leading to the assumption on behalf of parents that they are lower quality or less exclusive than activities at nonprofit organizations or for profit businesses.

These choices ultimately limit children’s experience. For example, an upper income child whose parents only think to enroll her in the nonprofit run activity misses out on the diversity and rich experience that her government community center can provide. Similarly, a lower income child may miss out on the updated facilities and new equipment of the for profit business.

If policy makers are to promote equality of opportunity for children later in life, further work needs to be done on making extracurricular activities more inclusive across socioeconomic levels. To make the most activities available to the most children in our cities, policymakers should keep in mind the forces driving parents’ choice of afterschool programming and encourage nonprofits, businesses, and government centers to develop more inclusive policies.

Feature Photo: cc/(Tanja-Tiziana)