55% of Latvia’s residents are looking to the coming school year with concern

Although summer is still in full swing, the start of the new school year is not far away, and it brings out a wide range of emotions in the population of Latvia. According to a survey* conducted by AKROPOLE shopping and entertainment centres, more than half or 55% of the surveyed parents of school-age children are looking forward to the start of the school year with concern, 37% are worried, and only 28% – excited.

Emotionally, this period is a particularly difficult time for families with limited financial resources. According to the survey, one third of respondents (36%) will be able to allocate up to EUR 100 to prepare their child for school. 39% will be able to afford to spend up to EUR 250 to buy everything they need for the new school year, and only 12% will be able to spend more than EUR 250.

“The beginning of the school year is an eagerly anticipated and joyful occasion for many children, and they can start preparing well in advance by buying a new backpack, a long-desired pair of sports shoes or a beautiful set of drawing materials. Meanwhile, parents are well aware of how much all these purchases could cost, and for many families the start of the new school year will come as an additional financial burden, causing unpleasant emotions. In order to balance the family budget with the needs and desires of the kids, most respondents will try to adapt to the situation by changing their shopping habits,” says Linda Ezera, Head of Norstat Latvija.

For example, half of the surveyed residents of Latvia (50%) plan to keep track of and take advantage of discounts and promotions more often, almost one third of respondents (29%) will reuse items from previous school years, while one in ten (10%) will give up certain goods or preferred brands in favour of cheaper alternatives. It should be noted that the financial situation of Latvian households has slightly improved compared to the previous year, as 53%, 33% and 16% of the surveyed respondents were planning to adopt the above behaviours a year ago.

Despite some improvements over the year, preparing a child for school will remain a challenge for a significant proportion of society, including low-income Latvian families and Ukrainian refugee families. Therefore, in order to take care of those families who face financial difficulties on a daily basis, in August, AKROPOLE shopping centres in cooperation with the charity organisation Ziedot.lv and other partners will organise the charity campaign “Let’s help prepare for school together!” for the fifth year in a row and will invite people to donate new clothes, shoes, stationery and other school supplies for children from low-income families.

“This campaign has become a very warm and valuable tradition, which has gained a lot of public support over the past five years. Last year, people and businesses transferred or made cash donations amounting to almost EUR 21,000. Meanwhile the special school goods donation boxes, which will again be placed at AKROPOLE Rīga and AKROPOLE Alfa shopping centres this year, were used to assemble 128 school bags and, with the help of Ziedot.lv, reached those children and families who faced challenges last year in preparing for the new school year,” says Aija Urbāne-Orbāne, Marketing Manager at AKROPOLE Rīga and AKROPOLE Alfa shopping centres.

This year, every resident of Latvia will be invited to support families with school-age children in need, and the organisers of the campaign are looking forward to the active involvement of the public. The charity campaign will take place from 5 to 30 August.

*About the survey:

The survey on preparation for the new school year among Latvian residents with school-age children was carried out in cooperation with the research agency Norstat in July 2024 pursuant to an order by AKROPOLE shopping and entertainment centres. 511 residents of Latvia aged 25 to 65 participated in the survey.