BELFAST 16 July 2026: Nine in every 10 parents in Northern Ireland say the summer brings financial and emotional pressures for their families.
Forty percent of parents say this leads to stress on family life, with over half (56%) worrying that their children will spend too much time on screens.
Over a third (35%) of parents feel anxious about the summer and its financial implications and 44% struggle to afford days out for their children.
These new statistics are part of Save the Children’s Big Summer Survey commissioned as part of their ‘No Summer Break from Poverty’ campaign to highlight the reality of families’ experiences this summer.
Save the Children Northern Ireland is working directly with families through partners to make sure children don't miss out on childhood because of poverty. Current child poverty rates in Northern Ireland are at 22% - 100,000 children.
Through our Family Support Programme we've delivered more than £2m into family homes in the last 6 years, supporting over 12,000 children. While our Innovation Fund has helped 10 community organisations support children and families in East Belfast. We’re proud of the work happening across Northern Ireland to support families this summer.
Key Stats:
*44% of NI parents struggle to afford trips/ days out for their children
*4 in 10 parents are stressed about the pressures of summer
*Almost a third of parents (29%) struggle to afford increased household bills
*A quarter of families (26%) save all year just to be able to afford summer
Laura Feeney from Save the Children NI said: “We know summer is a real strain for many of the families we and our community partners support through our family grants. These families are already in crisis, and the mental toll poverty brings them can get heavier at this time of year. We want to see real awareness, empathy and action from our political leaders. No matter what time of year, child poverty should be their top priority.”
Joanne Dougan from STEP Dungannon said: “When schools break up for summer, families struggle as free school meals come to an end. It's not just those who qualify for support, many families fall just above the eligibility threshold, missing out on free school meals and uniform grants despite facing real financial pressure. With the high cost of childcare and extra household expenses during the holidays, many are left asking, where is the additional money supposed to come from?”
Mum Louise McCullough from parents' support group Elevate East said: “Summer automatically brings that extra financial and mental stress. I know I feel the strain of it months in advance. As a parent you do your absolute best to give your kids the summer experiences and memories they deserve, but it can be so much pressure on my shoulders.”
This year Save the Children has put together new resources to help families during the summer break at Things to do with Kids for Free | Save the Children UK
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Spokespeople, and case studies are available on request. For further details please contact Jude Hill-Mitchell at [email protected] and [email protected]
Notes to Editor
Save the Children’s Big Summer Survey was conducted by Opinium between June 22nd - July 3rd 2026. 2,000 UK parents with at least one child under the age of 16 were polled. The full results can be found here
The data was weighted to be representative of parents across the UK by the parents age, parents gender, working status and social grade. In Northern Ireland there were 86 respondents.
ABOUT SAVE THE CHILDREN NORTHERN IRELAND
We have been working in Northern Ireland for 70 years. At Save the Children Northern Ireland we want all children to have a fair start in life, to enjoy their childhood and have the best life chances. We strive to make sure reducing child poverty remains a central priority for decision-makers. We do this because we recognise that poverty diminishes children’s rights, and the burden of living in poverty reduces the opportunity for children to reach their full potential.