A Report from First Tee & The Harris Poll
Today’s kids and teens are facing new challenges, but some things never change. Strength of character is still essential for overcoming obstacles. Yet 89% of parents feel character is a lost value that should be more emphasized in today’s society, according to new research from First Tee and The Harris Poll. That’s an increase of 4 percentage points from 2023. And nine out of 10 parents (89%) are seeking opportunities for their kids to build character.
Yet a new study between First Tee and The Harris polls finds that character is a lost value driven by a lack of regular opportunities to cultivate it.
Parents are concerned about the next generation of character in America.
Parents continue to prioritize their children’s well-being as the appetite for character-building rises. Today’s parents say they’re concerned about their children’s emotional health (62%), academic health (59%), behavioral health (58%) and social health (58%). Data shows they believe extracurriculars can help.
Parents believe sports can help close the character gap.
Kids aren’t born with character, but they build and strengthen it through everything they do. Children can learn important life skills from playing sports, according to 93% of parents. Parents put their kids in extracurricular activities – with sports being most popular – for socialization (69%) and to build confidence (68%).
Among parents whose kids play sports, they say they’re effective for:
- Creating opportunities to work with others (96%)
- Improving children’s mental health (95%)
- Providing supportive adults to strengthen character development (94%)
These benefits are essential in an increasingly fractured society, where a lot is demanded of kids and access to adult mentors can be scarce. Four out of five parents believe there’s a shortage of high caliber coaches today, while 82% of parents say they wish their child had more access to well-trained coaches.
Parents believe coaches are essential to youth development.
Parents turn to coaches to help teach their kids character (90%), self-confidence (61%), determination (59%) and leadership (59%). Ninety-one percent of parents agree that sports coaching should inspire their child to excel both on and off the field.
Parents say their child’s coach could impact their ability to work well with others (95%), respect others (90%) and be resilient in the face of challenges (90%). Therefore, it’s not surprising that 90% of parents believe coaches are the unsung heroes of youth development.
First Tee’s coaches set it apart.
Eighty-three percent of parents wish their child had more access to trustworthy coaches. That’s where First Tee comes in. At First Tee, we help kids ages 7-18 develop their golf swing, but more importantly their inner strength and character. Because we know what’s inside doesn’t just count; it changes the game.
All First Tee coaches are background checked and formally trained to connect with participants, whether they’re passionate golfers or just trying something new.
It’s why we’re intentional about training dedicated and caring coaches to deliver our curriculum which was designed with input from youth development experts using golf as the platform. It’s why we teach concepts like STAR – stop, think, anticipate, respond – to help participants develop resiliency when facing challenging situations. We help kids discover what’s inside of them, guide them to strengthen it, and mentor them to put it into action in everything they do.