About a third of Russians (32%) say there are more high school-aged children during school breaks in the streets than during the school year (more often in rural villages: 39%, cf. 18% in Moscow), 28% of the respondents say that the number of high school students doesn’t change during school breaks, while 27% say their number decreases.

Half of the respondents polled (49%) say that vacations from school are poorly organized where they live, 22% think they are organized well. People from 36 to 54 tend to have negative views more often (54%). About one-half of Russians (53%) believe local authorities should organize school vacations, 25% think parents should be responsible (30% of relatively wealthy respondents), and 11% think the schools should take care of it.

Some kids work during holidays: 44% say they don’t encounter working teenagers, while 26% see them rarely, and 22% see them often (11% in Moscow). Respondents were asked an open-ended question about what kinds of summer jobs kids get, and 45% were able to provide an answer. The most frequent answers were: land improvement, landscaping (“painting courtyards, collecting garbage,” 19%), selling trifles and food items (7%), helping adults farm or tend to animals (7%), distributing promotional items (5%), delivering mail (3%), working as loaders or helpers at construction sites (3%), light work at gas stations, serving as busboys and dishwashers at easting establishments (2% each), helping nurses at health resorts, helping out at day care centers, and renovating schools (1% each).

Respondents with children, grandchildren, or other close school-aged relatives (41% of the sample) were asked how the kids spend their summer vacation: about one-quarter of respondents said their children go away from home, 10% go to camps, health resorts, or to the seaside, 8% go to see out-of-town relatives or friends, and 6% spend their holidays at their dacha or in the countryside.

Those whose children don’t go anywhere for the holidays represent 23% of the respondents: 12% say their children stay at home, 6% say their children go out and socialize with friends, “swim in the river,” “do nothing,” etc., and 5% mention some sort of recreational of educational activities (sports, computer, music, reading, etc.).

Another 9% say children in their families are involved in some kind of work, including 5% whose children help around the house, and 4% mentioned a summer job or schoolwork.

Respondents with school-aged children were asked if they would mind if their child had decided to get a summer job: 65% would not be against it (26% of the sample), but 30% would (12% of the sample).

Svetlana Klimova

1. Summer Vacation

Do you have children/grandchildren or other close relatives attending high school? If so, how many?

Do you notice more or less teenagers in the streets of your neighborhood during summer vacation? Or are there about as many as during the school year?

Do you think school summer holidays are generally organized well or poorly?

Who do you think should be in charge of organizing summer vacation from schools: parents, the schools, local authorities or someone else?

2. Summer Jobs

Have you seen children work in your city or village this summer? If so, did you see them often or rarely?

Would you mind or not If your child decided to get a summer job to earn some pocket money? (Asked of those with children/grandchildren/other close relatives attending high school, 41% of the total sample.)

Do you have children/grandchildren or other close relatives attending high school? If so, how many?

Доли групп	100	65	24	8	46	54	37	36	27	14	36	32	19	21	28	26	8	12	17	38	25	21
none	59	59	58	67	62	57	61	56	60	60	63	54	61	53	60	58	56	69	54	63	53	60
one	28	28	32	23	25	31	28	31	25	24	26	32	27	31	27	31	32	23	31	27	29	28
two	8	9	6	6	8	9	7	9	9	9	8	9	8	11	8	7	9	6	10	7	11	8
three	2	2	2	0	2	2	1	2	3	4	1	2	2	3	2	2	1	1	3	2	3	1
four and more	2	2	2	3	3	2	3	2	2	3	2	3	2	2	3	2	2	0	3	1	5	2

Do you notice more or less teenagers in the streets of your neighborhood during summer vacation? Or are there about as many as during the school year?

Доли групп	100	65	24	8	46	54	37	36	27	14	36	32	19	21	28	26	8	12	17	38	25	21
more	32	34	29	27	28	35	33	33	30	33	33	31	33	38	28	34	18	28	36	30	39	29
same	28	26	34	32	30	27	28	28	28	30	30	27	25	39	31	20	17	20	24	30	36	23
less	27	29	26	19	29	26	31	27	23	17	24	33	30	15	26	34	51	37	30	26	16	36
hard to answer	13	11	11	22	13	12	9	12	19	20	13	10	12	7	15	12	14	16	10	15	10	12

Do you think school summer holidays are generally organized well or poorly?

Доли групп	100	65	24	8	46	54	37	36	27	14	36	32	19	21	28	26	8	12	17	38	25	21
well	22	25	17	8	19	24	25	20	20	17	22	25	20	21	23	20	10	14	22	22	27	22
poorly	49	47	57	53	48	50	49	54	43	40	48	52	54	54	48	54	48	49	54	47	50	47
hard to answer	29	28	26	39	32	26	26	26	37	43	31	23	27	24	29	27	41	36	23	31	23	30

Who do you think should be in charge of organizing summer vacation from schools: parents, the schools, local authorities or someone else?

Доли групп	100	65	24	8	46	54	37	36	27	14	36	32	19	21	28	26	8	12	17	38	25	21
local authorities	53	53	57	50	52	54	54	54	50	51	51	58	49	55	53	55	38	47	54	57	54	50
parents	25	26	22	21	25	26	26	26	23	21	23	23	34	19	22	30	51	34	21	22	20	34
schools	11	11	10	11	12	10	11	11	11	9	14	10	9	15	11	9	6	12	11	8	17	8
someone else	2	1	2	6	2	2	2	2	3	2	1	3	2	1	3	1	1	1	5	2	1	2
hard to answer	9	8	8	13	9	8	7	7	12	18	9	6	6	9	10	5	4	6	10	10	8	6

Have you seen children work in your city or village this summer? If so, did you see them often or rarely?

Доли групп	100	65	24	8	46	54	37	36	27	14	36	32	19	21	28	26	8	12	17	38	25	21
never	44	44	47	35	46	43	39	43	53	54	45	43	39	44	44	47	51	49	42	39	49	41
often	22	22	23	23	20	24	28	23	13	13	23	22	27	25	18	22	11	19	26	23	23	28
rarely	26	26	26	29	27	25	28	29	20	20	25	29	27	26	27	24	31	23	25	31	19	27
hard to answer	8	8	4	13	7	8	5	5	14	13	6	7	7	5	11	7	6	8	6	7	9	4

Would you mind or not If your child decided to get a summer job to earn some pocket money? (Asked of those with children/grandchildren/other close relatives attending high school, 41% of the total sample.)

Доли групп	100	65	24	8	46	54	37	36	27	14	36	32	19	21	28	26	8	12	17	38	25	21
I would mind	12	13	11	11	12	13	14	12	11	11	10	13	15	11	12	13	12	9	16	11	14	12
I wouldn't mind	26	26	28	22	25	27	22	31	26	27	25	30	22	33	26	27	31	19	28	23	31	27
hard to answer	2	2	3	0	2	3	3	1	3	2	2	3	2	3	2	3	2	4	2	3	2	1

POF database > Dominants. Opinion Field > Dominants 32 August 9, 2007 > School Vacations: What do Kids Do? > School Vacations: What do Kids Do?