If it’s a situation where all kids are going to get a trophy, I actually think it might be worth considering having none of the kids get a trophy instead. Let’s face it, when given to all kids for participation, trophies are meaningless – they are no longer associated with achievement. I mean, since when is it an “achievement” for kids to simply try an activity? I also never purposely lost a board game to my kids after they were passed the age of five or six as I was concerned they’d suspect something and then question their victories when they had truly won. Hope that didn’t make me a mean dad.
The majority (55%) of 1,503 U.S. adults that we recently polled on a VeraQuest omnibus survey generally agree with me on the topic of trophies, but the margin is not large – in fact, I’m surprised by the fairly robust percentage of Americans who support giving trophies/medals/awards to all kids who participate in a given activity (45%).
So who supports the “everyone gets a trophy” mentality? Not surprisingly (to me, anyway), the majority (53%) of younger Millennials 18-29 years of age do – they were likely some of the first kids to experience it first-hand. This is compared to only 43% of adults 30+ years of age who support this philosophy. Interestingly, the majority of Hispanics (53%) and Black/African-American adults (53%) feel “everyone should get a trophy” as well – this is compared to only 43% of Caucasians who feel this way. A very slight majority (51%) of parents also agree with this philosophy, versus only 42% of non-parents.
The adults who support giving trophies/awards to all kids who participate in a given activity say it’s because doing so makes kids feel good/happy – raises self-esteem (70%), that it creates a positive environment for all kids (67%), that doing so encourages kids to participate in activities they may not have tried (60%), and because it encourages better teamwork and support between kids (56%).
On the flip-side, the adults who feel that a child/team should only receive a trophy if they are the best or are among the best at a given activity say that they feel this way because kids should understand that there are rewards for hard work (69%), that giving everyone a trophy gives kids nothing to strive for (61%), and that it’s good for understanding life lessons (54%).
I, of course, agree with the latter. But in looking at the reasons for rewarding all kids for participation, I sense somewhat of an “anti-bullying environment” undertone, which I hadn’t previously thought about but that I am certainly sensitive to. That said, I also think we need to consider how the “everyone gets a trophy” philosophy might affect work ethic traits and create feelings of entitlement in today’s kids. I would rather my child not get something they didn’t earn or deserve and recognize that there are rewards for hard work. That can only serve them well as adults.
Do you think getting participation trophies has long-term impacts on a child, or is it over-reaction? How important do you feel competition and recognition are for children?
matthew greenshields says
September 17, 2015 at 9:07 amI would be interested to see results by political affiliation.