Great Lakes Wire

A report from the National Retail Federation (NRF) revealed that Michigan parents are expected to spend near-record amounts this year on back-to-school supplies for their children, and 25% more on average than under the Trump administration. Recent battleground polling, including Michigan voters, found that they preferred their economic situation under Trump than under the Biden-Harris administration.

According to the NRF's analysis, for the 2024-25 school year, families with kids in grades K-12 plan to spend $874.68 on clothes, shoes, electronics, and school supplies. This figure is the second highest level since the NRF began their survey in 2003 and is 11% more than parents paid for back-to-school supplies in 2020, during the Coronavirus pandemic, and 25% more than in 2019 under the Trump economy.

A July 2024 survey conducted on behalf of Intuit Credit Karma found that 59% of parents with kids under 18 plan to spend more money on back-to-school shopping this year than in previous years due to higher costs of living. 31% of parents said that they cannot afford back-to-school shopping this year, which included 39% of Gen Z parents and 37% of millennial parents.

According to the Credit Karma survey, 44% of parents are anxious about back-to-school shopping this year. 34% of parents said that they plan to take on debt to pay for school supplies, including 44% of Gen Z parents and 38% of millennial parents. The survey also found that 50% of parents planned to prioritize paying for school supplies over other necessities such as groceries and bills. 60% of Gen Z parents and 56% of millennial parents shared this sentiment.

In order to help offset the financial burden of back-to-school shopping this year, 61% of Credit Karma survey respondents said that they planned to shop at discount stores like Dollar General, and 33% of respondents said that they would count on either borrowed or secondhand items.

A recent poll of voters in battleground states including Michigan found that they prefer the economy under Trump over the Biden/Harris administration by an 11 point margin. The American Greatness report showed 4 in 10 voters in the states polled, including Arizona, Nevada, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and North Carolina, also reported that “Bidenomics” didn’t work “at all.” Only 15% polled said that “Bidenomics” under the Biden/Harris administration worked “very well.”