A Universal Studios Japan survey found that parents of 18- to 24-year-olds recalled family outings becoming less frequent as their children grew. The share reporting outings at least once a month fell from 80.5% during preschool to 49% during middle school.
The same 200 parents looked back on five stages of childhood. The monthly-or-more figure was 73% for early elementary school, 68% for the middle elementary years and 62% for the later elementary years before dropping below half in middle school.
The figures come from parents’ recollections
The results do not track families over time. They reflect how parents of young adults remembered their outing frequency at each stage, so the percentages should not be read as a measure of every family in Japan.
Universal Studios Japan commissioned the online survey from Rakuten Insight. It ran October 14–16 and included 1,400 respondents: 1,000 parents of children ages 4–12, 200 parents of children ages 18–24 and 200 young adults ages 18–24.
More than half regretted outings that never happened
Among the 200 parents of older children, 55% said they regretted postponing an outing that never took place.
The survey also asked parents of younger children about plans they had not completed in 2026. Of those 1,000 respondents, 62.5% said at least one intended family outing had not happened. Overnight trips ranked first, followed by theme parks and amusement parks, then day trips.
Read the full Universal Studios Japan survey release and methodology.