MKOR Study: Beyond the 450 RON Budget, Parents’ Real Concern Is Bullying

Back to School 2025: When Fear of Bullying Surpasses Worries About the 450 RON Budget

Before worrying about notebooks or uniforms, another concern dominates Romanian parents’ agenda: bullying, cited by nearly 4 in 10 respondents as the main source of stress at the start of the school year.

This red flag shows that the pressure of returning to school extends far beyond financial matters. Of course, budgets remain a challenge, especially in the current unstable fiscal climate. The study further reveals an average spending of 450 RON per child, but behind these figures lie tensions, strategic decisions, and deep concerns affecting the entire educational system.

To better understand this dynamic—from shopping carts to non-financial anxieties—MKOR conducted a study on a representative sample of 500 parents with school-aged children.

The purpose of the Back to School 2025 study is to provide a complete overview of parents’ behaviors and attitudes toward their children’s return to school this autumn: what they buy, how much they spend, where they seek information, and above all, what truly worries them.

Shopping Basket: Clothing and School Supplies, Essentials for 8 out of 10 Parents

At first glance, the back-to-school shopping basket seems predictable, dominated by two essential categories.

The MKOR study confirms that 83% of parents purchase clothing and footwear, while an identical share, 83%, buy stationery and school supplies. These remain the cornerstones of any shopping list.

However, a closer look at allocated budgets reveals a more complex picture. While parents spend on average 300 RON on stationery, the budget for clothing and footwear rises to 570 RON, making it the most substantial expense in the basic shopping basket.

The dynamics change dramatically when technology products are included.

Although only 13% of parents buy them, the average spend on IT products (laptops, tablets, phones) reaches 1,140 RON — a significant amount that completely reshapes back-to-school costs, especially for parents of high school students, where 1 in 5 makes such a purchase.

The 450 RON Budget: An Average That Masks a Divide Between Public and Private Schools

The average budget of 450 RON per child covers only part of the financial reality. The true costs of starting a school year are shaped by a family’s socio-economic status, which creates striking differences.

The strongest differentiating factor is the type of education. Parents who chose the private system allocate an average budget of 660 RON, more than 50% higher than those with children in public schools (430 RON). This gap highlights the existence of a premium market, where investment in education directly drives related expenses.

A child’s age is another driver of rising costs. As children advance through the education system, their needs become more complex and more expensive:

• The budget for clothing increases by 36%, from 470 RON in kindergarten to 640 RON in high school.
• Spending on IT products surges, rising by 48% between primary school (850 RON) and high school (1,260 RON).

Finally, the study reveals significant regional disparities. Parents in the South-West and West regions (Macroregion 4) allocate an average of 590 RON, which is 78% higher than in the South region (Macroregion 3), where the average is just 330 RON. These differences confirm that families’ economic realities strongly influence their ability to cover educational expenses.

The Modern Parent, a Shopping Strategist: Searches Online, Validates in the Mall, Buys from the Hypermarket

The battle between traditional and digital retail is settled by parents through a pragmatic approach: they use the best of both worlds. While online convenience wins in speed, the in-store experience remains essential for most shopping decisions.

Our study shows a market split into three:

• 51% of parents prefer physical stores, relying on direct interaction with the product.
• 41% adopt a hybrid (omnichannel) approach, combining in-store visits with online research and purchases.
• A 9% niche relies exclusively on online stores, prioritizing efficiency and speed.

When it comes to traditional shopping, the hypermarket leads (69%), remaining the main destination for most parents, followed by specialized mall stores (45%).

In the digital space, the landscape is strongly influenced by local players. Romanian marketplaces are the top choice for 62% of online shoppers, while specialized online stores (such as fashion or stationery) attract 45% of this audience.

Beyond the general picture, the study reveals distinct behavioral patterns shaped by income and education:

• Socio-economic status dictates channel choice: Parents with higher education (45% hybrid) and higher incomes (48% hybrid) adopt the hybrid model most often. By contrast, parents with general education (74%) and lower incomes (62%) are more anchored in the traditional in-store concept.
• Hybrid shoppers are the most demanding: This group shows the highest conversion rate from mall stores (56%) and demonstrates a special attraction for retail, confirming that in-store experience is a key factor even for digitally savvy consumers.
• Bucharest sets the trend: The capital stands out with a massive adoption of the hybrid model (52%), consolidating its role as a trendsetter in urban consumer behavior.

Decision at the Shelf: The Silent Battle Between Parents’ Wallets and Children’s Wishes

The decision-making process behind school shopping is a complex negotiation between reason and emotion. Parents constantly balance the need to make smart, lasting purchases with the desire to satisfy their children’s preferences.

The MKOR study shows that purchasing decisions rest on a triangle of three main pillars: product quality (the essential criterion for 50% of parents), price (important for 48%), and, perhaps less surprisingly, children’s preferences (important for 42%).

A detailed analysis of the data reveals that the importance placed on each factor varies dramatically depending on the parent’s profile:

• Parental experience: Young parents (23–35 years old), often facing these choices for the first time, rely heavily on school recommendations (50%) as a safety factor. By contrast, more experienced parents (45–55 years old) are guided by previous experience with certain brands (35%), trusting choices validated over time.
• Shopping channel redefines criteria: Parents who buy exclusively online, lacking the chance to evaluate products physically, rely on brand (30%) as a quality indicator. Meanwhile, omnichannel shoppers are the most demanding, with 59% ranking quality as their top criterion, most likely using physical stores to validate these aspects.
• Socio-economic status sets different priorities: Parents with higher education prioritize quality (59%) and children’s comfort (40%), showing they are willing to invest more in these areas. By contrast, those with general education are more sensitive to offers and discounts (45%).

Finally, the study highlights a subtle but important aspect: mothers place greater emphasis on their children’s comfort (40% vs. 27% among fathers), proving a heightened sensitivity to emotional details and practical aspects of school shopping.

Beyond Shopping Lists: Bullying, Parents’ Main Concern—Especially for Mothers

Once the shopping list is checked off, financial pressure gives way to deeper anxieties, linked to children’s real experiences in the school environment.

The MKOR study shows that for Romanian parents, non-financial worries are just as intense—if not more pressing—than those tied to the budget.

At the top of these concerns is the behavior of other students (bullying, conflicts), cited by 38% of parents as a major source of stress. This social anxiety even surpasses more practical aspects such as backpack weight (33%) or children’s safety (32%), signaling a paradigm shift in how school-related risks are perceived.

However, the data analysis reveals that these concerns are not uniform. Bullying is strongly gendered, with mothers feeling it much more acutely (46%) than fathers (31%). Interestingly, anxiety peaks among parents of kindergarten children (51%), suggesting heightened fears around early social interactions unfiltered by children’s maturity.

As children grow older, worries evolve. For example, backpack weight becomes a central issue in primary school, peaking at 47% among parents of children aged 11–14.

At the same time, living environment shapes perceptions of risk: child safety is a more pronounced concern for parents in urban areas, especially in Bucharest-Ilfov (46%), compared to rural areas (31%).

Finally, one of the most filtered but still persistent anxieties: school schedules. Nearly one in three parents (31%) say they are stressed by class timetables, especially because these overlap with their own work commitments, complicating daily family logistics.

The 100 RON per Session Parallel Market: How Tutoring Became the Norm for 44% of Parents

Beyond the visible costs of supplies and clothing lies a second, less visible yet equally important market for families: tutoring.

The MKOR study reveals that private tutoring has become a norm for a significant share of parents, turning into a quasi-obligatory component of the educational journey.

The data shows that 44% of parents turn to paid tutoring, a percentage that reflects systemic distrust in the school’s ability to provide sufficient preparation on its own.

This parallel education market is dominated by subjects considered essential for national exams:

• Mathematics is the uncontested queen of tutoring, requested by 92% of parents who invest in extra preparation.
• Romanian language and literature comes second, with 59% of mentions.
• Foreign languages complete the top three, chosen by 33% of parents.

The average cost per tutoring session in core subjects (Math or Romanian) stabilizes at around 100 RON. However, this market is highly segmented.

Exam pressure is the main driver dictating both frequency and cost.

The demand for tutoring explodes at high school level, where 67% of parents pay for extra preparation, compared to only 21% in primary school.

Moreover, access to this form of education remains strongly conditioned by socio-economic status.

Parents with higher incomes (58%) and higher education (51%) are much more likely to invest in tutoring than those with lower incomes (34%) or general education (19%). This educational gap not only underscores unequal access to tutoring but also perpetuates broader systemic inequities.

The Education System Under Scrutiny: Romanians Want Cultivated People with Critical Thinking, but Face a Lack of Vision and Politicization

At MKOR, we are constantly concerned with people’s perceptions on issues that impact society.

Thus, beyond the immediate pressures of the new school year, another MKOR study, Education from the Perspective of Romanians, analyzed perceptions of the education system as a whole.

What does education truly mean to people, what do they expect from schools, and most importantly, what obstacles stand in the way of a better system?

The data, collected immediately after the presidential elections in May on a nationally representative sample of 1,183 Romanians, reveals a major disconnect between aspirations and perceived reality.

What Education Means: Intellectual and Moral Formation Above Diplomas

For most Romanians, education is not just a formal process of earning diplomas. Their vision is deeply humanistic, focused on personal development.

Nearly 7 in 10 (70%) believe the main purpose of education is to become an informed and cultivated person, a perspective especially strong among Generation Z (81%).

Second on the list of priorities is character formation: 52% of respondents believe school should primarily provide a context for learning moral values and ethical behavior.

By contrast, obtaining diplomas ranks much lower, being mentioned by only 9% of respondents, suggesting that society places more value on substance than on formal credentials.

Main Obstacles: Lack of Vision and Underfunding, the Brakes on the System

The findings of these two studies complement each other: parents’ concrete anxieties at the start of the school year are mirrored by society’s broader recognition of strategic failures, highlighted at the end of a period of intense social and political debate.

The system not only fails to prevent issues such as bullying, but fundamentally fails to deliver the exact set of skills society deems vital, which could otherwise serve as an antidote to these problems. This creates a vicious cycle: schools do not teach socio-emotional skills, leading to a toxic environment, further confirming that the education system does not fulfill its mission.

When asked about the barriers blocking reform, Romanians point to structural problems at the top of the system. Two major obstacles are cited equally by nearly half of respondents: the lack of a clear and consistent vision at the national level (48%) and insufficient education funding (48%).

Perceptions of these issues vary by generation and socio-economic status:

• Generation Z (18–27 years old) is most concerned with insufficient funding (61%), feeling directly affected by its consequences.
• By contrast, Generation X (44–55 years old) and respondents with higher education and incomes are much more critical of the lack of vision (55–57%) and politicization of the system (47%), pointing to frustration with ineffective governance.

What Schools Should Teach: Critical Thinking and Life Skills, More Important than Traditional Subjects

When asked what children should fundamentally learn in school to be prepared for life, Romanians prioritize soft skills and practical competencies.

The top responses are clear and effective communication (48%), followed by critical thinking and problem-solving (37%). In third place comes respect for moral values and diversity (33%).

Generational differences are striking. Generation Z strongly supports modern competencies, such as critical thinking (45%) and financial education (38%)—priorities almost absent among Generation X (13%). By contrast, older generations place greater emphasis on moral values and respect (40%), reflecting a more traditional view of school’s mission.

These data reveal that while parents face immediate challenges linked to the start of the school year, at a broader level, Romanian society aspires to an education system that equips children with adaptable skills for real life—not just knowledge, but competencies fit for tomorrow’s world.

Conclusions and Key Insights from the Back to School Study

The MKOR Back to School 2025 study outlines a complex picture where financial decisions intersect with social anxieties and systemic pressures. The start of the school year is no longer just a consumption event, but a barometer of Romanian parents’ state of mind.

• Priorities have shifted: Emotional security outweighs financial pressure. While budgeting is still a challenge, parents’ main concern now lies in the social sphere. Bullying has become a bigger stress factor than costs, highlighting the urgent need for solutions targeting the school environment, not just household budgets.
• The 450 RON average budget: The real story is in segmentation. The average masks a polarized market. The over 50% gap between parents in private versus public systems, along with regional disparities of up to 78%, shows there is no single “Back to School” market, but multiple micro-markets shaped by income, education, and location.
• The modern parent is a hybrid consumer. The battle between online and offline shopping is won by omnichannel strategies (41%). Parents move fluidly across channels, using physical stores for quality validation (especially malls) and online for efficiency (local marketplaces), pushing retailers to deliver an integrated, consistent experience.
• Tutoring has become normalized. The fact that 44% of parents invest in extra lessons, at an average of 100 RON per session, shows tutoring is no longer a niche but a structural component of education spending. This reflects systemic mistrust in schools’ ability to provide sufficient preparation and deepens inequalities, turning academic performance into a premium service.
• A vision gap versus reality. Romanians aspire to an education system that cultivates informed, critical thinkers, but face one they perceive as underfunded, politicized, and—most importantly—lacking coherent vision. This disconnect between societal aspirations and perceived reality explains much of the frustration directed toward the system and highlights the need for long-term reforms.

How We Conducted the Research

For this research, we ensured that the data collected reflected as accurately as possible the social reality of Romanian parents, providing a clear and objective picture of behaviors and attitudes related to the start of the school year.

• Sample size: 500 respondents
• Sample characteristics: Nationally representative by gender, age, region, and parents’ type of residence (urban/rural)
• Target: Parents with school-aged children (3–18 years old)
• Research method: Online survey (CAWI)
• Instrument: Structured questionnaire
• Approach: Online, via the MKOR Panel
• Period: August 29 – September 2, 2025

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