Foster City, CA – August 21, 2014 – Visa’s annual Tooth Fairy survey shows that American children are receiving an average of $3.40 per lost tooth this year, down 8% from last year. For a full set of 20 baby teeth, American kids will be getting a slightly more modest, but still hefty, $68, down from $74 last year.
Please join Visa’s Practical Money Skills on Thursday August 21 to discuss the results via live TweetChat hosted by Wise Bread at 3pm EST. The chat can be accessed at https://tweetchat.com/ by using either #WBChat or #toothfairycalculator.
Also available to discuss tips on how parents can use the Tooth Fairy’s visit as an opportunity to lay the foundation for helping their children develop sound money management habits early in life is personal finance expert and the Senior Director of Visa’s Global Financial Education Programs, Jason Alderman.
Additional findings from the survey include:
- Fathers reported a far more indulgent Tooth Fairy, saying that the Fairy left 45% more than moms said she did: $4.20 vs. $2.90.
- The Fairy may be giving just what she has in her pocket; over 50% of kids will get either $1 or $5.
- 33% of respondents reported that the Tooth Fairy left a dollar.
- Only 3.6% said that the Tooth Fairy left $20 or more, down from 6% in 2013.
- Kids in Canada are receiving the equivalent of $2.60 in U.S. dollars on average this year with the exchange rate, the same amount the Tooth Fairy was leaving kids in the U.S. in 2011.
- The Tooth Fairy spoiled kids in the West the most, leaving $3.60. Kids in the South and Northeast will each receive an average of about $3.50. The Tooth Fairy was at her most thrifty in the Midwest, leaving an average of only $3.10.
The Tooth Fairy calculator and app are part of Visa’s free, award-winning financial education program, Practical Money Skills for Life, which reaches millions of people around the world each year. Launched in 1995, the program is now available in 10 languages in more than 30 countries. AtPractical Money Skills for Life, educators, parents and students can access free educational resources including personal finance articles, games, lesson plans, and more. The app is available for iPhones and iPads at the iTunes Store, and the calculator is available at: https://www.facebook.com/ToothFairyCalculator
**The survey results are based on approximately 3,000 telephone interviews among adults aged 18 or older and approximately 1,000 among households with children under age 13, in cooperation with GfK Roper’s Omnibus Service “OmniTel”. The margin of error on a sample of 1,000 is +/-3 percentage points.
