THE CHALLENGE

LEGO hypothesized that gendered messaging, alongside societal pressures of perfectionism and fear of failure, can stifle girls’ creativity. They needed an objective, comprehensive research strategy to understand these themes and their relation to confidence in play.

THE STRATEGY

LEGO’s Play Well Report, the largest study of play ever conducted, was built from a robust online quantitative survey covering 36 global markets. We gathered responses from 61,532 participants, comprising 36,000 parents of children aged 1-12 and 25,532 children aged 5-12.

THE INSIGHTS

The findings underscored significant challenges young girls face: 76% of five-year-old girls expressed confidence in their creativity, but this declined with age, with two-thirds feeling anxious about sharing their ideas by age 12. Societal biases exacerbate this decline, with creative achievements by women seven times more likely to be labeled as “cute” or “pretty” compared to men, who are twice as likely to be praised for being “brave” or “innovative.”

The research also highlighted pervasive societal messages of perfection, with over three in five girls feeling pressure to conform to unrealistic standards. This was also noted by parents, who agree that girls’ reluctance to make mistakes holds them back from developing and voicing their ideas, with many also stating that this impact of pressure for perfection is less prevalent among male counterparts. Language plays a critical role, with nearly two-thirds of girls reporting that societal language reinforces a fear of making mistakes and discourages experimentation.

Insights indicated fostering a growth mindset could significantly boost girls' confidence. For instance, 80% stated they would be less afraid to try new things if mistakes were praised as learning opportunities. At the same time, nine in ten believed their confidence would increase if adults emphasized the creative process over outcomes.

With a holistic view of the factors influencing creative confidence, we translated our findings into actionable recommendations.

THE OUTCOME

Our insights informed the Play Unstoppable campaign, which launched on International Women’s Day 2024. The campaign connects research surrounding confidence in young girls to the power of play in building confidence through LEGO bricks and building sets.

LEGO launched a press release, coverage in top-tier news outlets, an empowering short film titled "More Than Perfect" and a "10-Steps to Fostering Creative Confidence" guide for parents, all featuring data from the study.

Overall, Play Unstoppable resonated deeply with LEGO’s many audiences. The campaign received an impressive 1.8K mentions and a potential reach of 2.2 billion across online news, blogs, forums, social media and broadcast outlets, showcasing the profound impact of Edelman DXI's research on promoting creative confidence among young girls.