Free Ice Cream, Giant Robots and Spider-Man on Bank Notes: Children Have Their Say on the Country’s Spending Ahead of the Autumn Budget

Ahead of next week’s Autumn Budget, The Entertainer, the UK’s largest independent toy retailer, asked children to weigh in on how they’d manage the nation’s finances – and their responses were as imaginative as you’d expect.

The survey of 1,000 children aged 5-11 years found that over a third would make ice cream free (38%) if they were in charge of the country’s budget, while others would build a theme park in every town (35%), replacing public transport with roller coasters (26%), and make video games free for life (32%).

Amusingly, 89% of children believe they would do a good job overseeing the country’s money, with almost half (48%) certain they’d do a better job than the Government – building giant robots to help people (31%), giving every family a free pet (31%) and installing a full-sized football stadium in each garden (15%).

But if you ask them, it’s not all about fun and games, as over half of those surveyed would prioritise making things cheaper, such as food & drink, over the next year (54%), while improving schools (54%) and paying those who help us, such as nurses, more money (38%). Others would make housing cheaper (49%) and clothes more affordable for families (43%).

“The world according to kids is full of fairness, fun, and imagination,” said Caroline Smith, Marketing Director at The Entertainer. “Whether it’s building giant robots to help people or lowering the cost of food, their ideas show the unique mix of compassion and creativity only children can bring.”

Humorously, almost a fifth of children said they would change the country’s banknotes to feature their favourite toy or fictional characters (16%), given the chance – with Spider-Man (22%) coming out on top, closely followed by Batman (18%), Barbie (18%), Bluey (17%) and Iron Man (16%).

And if not the Government, almost half of children surveyed (49%) believe their parents should take charge of the country’s finances. A further fifth (19%) would entrust the responsibility to their favourite superhero, while others would prefer their teachers (17%). A playful 12% even said Santa Claus should take the job.

When asked about more serious financial problems such as the country’s £22 billion deficit, their solutions were a mix of practicality and fun: Almost half (47%) suggested asking rich people to pay it off, while 42% simply proposed printing more money. A quarter of children (24%) even imagined a giant piggy bank outside No. 10 Downing Street, where everyone could chip in.

But if they were given the chance to treat themselves to some pocket money out of the country’s budget, they wouldn’t hold back, with almost a fifth of those surveyed planning to spend it on Squishmallows (17%), closely followed by Barbie dolls (15%), NERF blasters (14%), Hot Wheels cars (11%), Paw Patrol toys (10%) and LOL Dolls (6%).

While children may not be managing the UK’s money quite yet, they can still have a say in how they spend their own. Discover our wide range of toys that make for the perfect gifts for children of all ages.

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