The Pokémon phenomenon: Australian 13 (and 30) year-olds becoming seven again

Last year, just 1 in 5 Aussie kids aged six to 13 thought Pokémon was cool, Roy Morgan’s Young Australians Survey shows. And, contrary to what may appear to be the case on streets across the country this week, growing up had meant outgrowing it.  

21% of Australian kids aged 6-13 cited Pokémon as something that is ‘cool now’ during 12 months of research throughout 2015, a rate fairly consistent over the past eight years.   

Pokémon’s popularity peaked among the youngest respondents, with the Japanese gaming and entertainment franchise considered cool by 27% of six year-olds and 30% of seven year-olds, before its appeal declined to 24% of eight and nine year-olds, 21% of 10 year-olds, 18% of 11 year-olds and just 13% of kids aged 12 to 13.

As the hype and excitement continues around Pokémon GO, the GPS-based augmented reality app released here on July 6, our continuing research over the rest of 2016 may well show that these older Aussie kids (and their parents) could consider Pokémon cool again.

% of Aussie kids by age who thought Pokémon was cool in 2015

Source: Roy Morgan Young Australians Survey, January-December 2015, sample n = 2,906 Australians aged 6-13   

Michele Levine – CEO, Roy Morgan Research, says:

“Last year around one in five Aussie kids aged six to 13 thought Pokémon was cool—around the same proportion as were giving the thumbs-up to Superman and Toy Story, and a touch behind Angry Birds. Seven year-olds were the most likely to think that Pokémon franchise was cool, and it was well down the list of ‘cool’ things among tweens. 

“However the number one cool item among 12 and 13 year-olds is the iPhone—which many are probably staring at right now as they hunt little augmented reality creatures through the Pokémon GO smartphone app.”