Survey reveals American parents would dress their child in secondhand clothes

By

Obi Anyanwu

Published
Jul 15, 2015

ThredUP.com, the leading online shop to buy and sell like-new women’s and children’s clothing, last week released the results of its Second Annual Back-to-School Survey, which coincides with the launch of its Back-to-School Shop.
 

The survey found that over 7 in 10 parents, or 72%, would choose secondhand clothing for a child’s play date, over 6 in 10 parents, or 61%, would do secondhand for a child’s field trip, and over 1 in 4 Americans, or 27%, would choose to outfit their child in secondhand clothing for his or her first day of school outfit or a picture day outfit. Overall, thredUP.com is one of the top destinations for nearly 9 out of 10, or 86%, of American parents who would dress their child in secondhand clothing.
 
The press release for the survey states that the vast majority of consumers would buy secondhand fashion, and they associate the lifestyle choice with stylish celebrities admired for being environmentally conscious. Half of American parents believe that celebrity moms such as Drew Barrymore, Julia Roberts, Jessica Alba and Alicia Silverstone are shopping secondhand for themselves or their children.

The millennial generation is driving the shift towards becoming smarter, more responsible consumers. Half of millennial parents have taught their children that secondhand shopping is eco-friendly compared to 42% of parents age 35 and over, and those same millennial parents are the most likely to believe that celebrity moms shop secondhand. 

Kelton conducted the survey online with 1,008 American respondents ages 18 and over following a strict methodology.