A sample of 900 children (and their mothers), aged 6 to 13 and representative the Federal Republic of Germany was interviewed on a wide- spread selection of leisure-time activities, media consumption data as well as their opinions and attitudes television, TV-commercials and consuming habits. As independent variables sociodemographic features, characteristics of media consumption, attitudes of children and mother to television and advertising program , communication with parents and peers about TV were introduced. A series of mediating factors (e.g. parents educational level) were considered. It was found that the impact of television advertising on children cognition, attitudes and behavior was of a highly complex determination structure. Intensity (frequency) of TV consumption and contact with the medium were by far not sufficient to explain the variance of the dependent variables. The premises of the theoretical model and the technique of path analysis are discussed and suggestion are made to solve the 'impact problem' in further research concepts.
The paper considers important aspects of designing questions for children. It commences with a discussion of the constraints and limitations of conducting questionnaire-based research with children, covering such items as the difficulty of recording non-verbal reactions, and the limited attention span of younger children. From each of the points covered a criterion by which a question may be judged is derived. The paper briefly considers some problems associated with collecting different types of frequently-required data from children. This is followed by a discussion of the benefits of collecting comparative rather than absolute data, and some comments on the analysis of scaled questions.
The importance of children and young people as autonomous consumers has increased rapidly during the recent decade. In some markets they are responsible for most of total turnover and in others they are in an important segment now. To avoid lack of market transparence, it is necessary, that consumer research deals with this problem, so that research in this population group is going to be more and more normal practice instead of occasional special events. To establish a Children's Panel multiplies the difficulties of panel research and the well known difficulties of research in children, taking in mind recruiting, motivation and regularly cooperation. A basic survey in order to define the universe of the panel was carried out.
During the last years the interest in young people's consumer behaviour has greatly increased. Young people as almost emancipated partners in the process of purchase decision are supposed to be educated in order to become consumers like adults. They also serve as target groups for advertisement. Unfortunately there is often a lack of knowledge about young people's needs and their way of behaviour. In order to get to know more details about young people as consumers the Fessel&GFK-Institute conducted two surveys with young people, this spring, which are now the basis for this presentation.
The paper demonstrates the important role research can play in the development of an advertising campaign aimed at children. Following increasing concern about the safety of children on the roads, a detailed set of procedures to guide children across the roads safely, was developed in the United Kingdom. The set of procedures, called the Green Cross Code was promoted to children aged 5 to 12 (in terms both of teaching and encouragement to use the Code) by a variety of means, including advertising aimed at children themselves. Initially the emphasis of Green Cross Code advertising to children was placed on teaching the Code as a set of rules to be followed. These detailed rules form a very complex communication to children, with particular difficulties at the lower end of the age range. A considerable amount of research has been carried out in connection with this advertising campaign and the paper describes the methodology employed in detail.
A sample of 900 pupils, aged 6 to 13 and representative for the Federal Republic Of Germany (and their mothers) was questioned about a wide-spread selection of leisure-time activities, media-consumption as well as their opinions and attitudes towards (commercial) television and consumers' environment. The essential item for the determination of the quantitative value of tv consumption in context with communication behavior was a daily routine analysis where the pupils should register their indoors and outdoors activities of 'yesterday' as completely as possible. The same instrument of investigation has been used for children in the first class of primary school as well as for those in puberty, an instrument that has been tested in time budget- and broadcast media-research. The age groups in question are distinguished by important developments in the cognitive, emotional and social sphere - a fact which has not only an important impact on the child's personal experience but also on his ability to give information about his opinions, behavior etc. For this reason a systematic examination of the results on the basis of comparable data of the continuous television audience measurement seemed to be of great interest.
The purpose of this paper is to examine the importance in research terms of a number of major social changes affecting children today. We use the family as the main area of focus to describe the implications of social change for our target group.
The present paper covers only a limited part of this research, but a part which we think may be of interest. We begin with a summary of the public opinions on the topic 'children and marketing', as they were explicitly formulated on a conference in Finland, April 1979. These opinions, dealing both with the choice of marketing methods and media when addressing children and youth and with the moral valuations of marketing measures directed towards young people, were sufficiently self-assured and hostile to business that we found it worth its while to search for a corresponding set of opinions (and knowledge) held by the business world.
This paper deals with the question if and how television advertising causes changes in the behaviour and attitudes of children. In summer 1979 and in summer 1980 two pilot studies were carried out with the aim of obtaining first results which would give information about the effects of television advertising on children. The studies took place at West-Berlin schools and were conducted with 10- to 12-year old children, one with approximately 30 children from the upper-middle and upper classes, the other with approximately 30 children from the lower-middle and lower classes. The research design was based on an experimental paradigm of the EBA/CBA type. The results clearly show a behavioural change with slightly stronger advertising effects on the upper-middle and upper class than on the lower-middle and lower class children. In contrast to that, no systematic attitudinal change was noticeable, a fact that gives rise to the question whether this must be attributed to the measuring method employed or whether the connection between attitude and behaviour is less developed in children than in adults.