Parents are now spending an average of €929 on their child’s Communion day, the highest spend recorded since 2011, according to the latest annual survey.

The 2019 Ulster Bank Communion Survey found parents spent 8% more on their child’s day than in 2018, when the overall figure was €860.

The biggest increase was in the amount spent on Communion outfits for children, with the figure jumping 35%, from €162 to €218.

Spending on outfits for other family members was also up 27%, from €153 to €195, while spending on party food and drink was up a more modest 2%, from €349 to €357.

Spending on makeup and hair for girls also increased marginally on 2018, from €35 to €41. Conversely, parents spent less on children’s entertainment this year, down from €161 to €119.

However, the average sum children received was up 10% to €617, with almost a quarter receiving more than €800.

Of parents who responded to the survey, almost two-thirds (62%) think that their child received too much money. On average, girls received more money than boys, at €646 versus €587; however, both genders saw a marked increase on 2018’s figures, up €69 and €46 respectively.

Nine out of 10 respondents said that they spoke to their child about the money they received and how they might spend it, either in the run-up to Communion day (59%) or shortly afterwards (31%).

The vast majority of respondents (81%) say some of the money their child received from their Communion will be put into a savings account in their own name.

For some 24% of those making their Communion in 2019, this will be the first time they have had a savings account.

The survey did show that children have spent less of their Communion money when compared with 2018, with parents reporting on average that their child had spent 28% of their money to date (39% in 2018).

By Ryan O’Neill Irish Examiner