{"id":2499387,"date":"2026-07-12T23:10:27","date_gmt":"2026-07-12T23:10:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2499387"},"modified":"2026-07-12T23:10:27","modified_gmt":"2026-07-12T23:10:27","slug":"spider-man-michael-jordan-and-mom-survey-reveals-who-kids-call-their-heroes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/spider-man-michael-jordan-and-mom-survey-reveals-who-kids-call-their-heroes\/","title":{"rendered":"Spider-Man, Michael Jordan and mom: Survey reveals who kids call their heroes"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Mom, Dad, Spider-Man, Rumi the KPop Demon Hunter, Michael Jordan and Sonic the Hedgehog are some of today\u2019s kids\u2019 biggest heroes, according to new research.<\/p>\n

A survey of 2,000 parents of children ages 4 to 12 aimed to uncover who the next generation is looking up to and how the definition of a \u201chero\u201d has evolved in the 21st Century.<\/p>\n

According to the results, those in kids\u2019 everyday lives rank as the top types of people they look up to: parents (71%), teachers (40%), siblings (37%), extended family members (33%) and even friends (31%).<\/p>\n

Fictional superheroes (29%), celebrities (22%) and fictional characters (22%) still remain popular, though less prominent.<\/p>\n

When asked specifically who their child\u2019s \u201chero\u201d is, many said a variation of mom, dad, grandma or grandpa.<\/p>\n

Others idolize athletes such as Michael Jordan and LeBron James, whereas others look up to celebrities like John Cena and Michael Jackson.<\/p>\n

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A slew of superheroes were popular, such as Spider-Man, Batman, Superman and the Black Panther, as were other characters like Rumi from the KPop Demon Hunters, Sonic the Hedgehog and Bluey.<\/p>\n

But kids aren\u2019t selecting their heroes because of their super speed or flawless ways. Traits like bravery (38%), strength (37%), kindness (37%) and honesty (31%) outrank superficial heroic traits like moral righteousness (16%) or being a risk-taker (13%).<\/p>\n

Conducted on behalf of the Kiddie Academy<\/a> brand by Talker Research, results revealed that parents most often define a \u201chero\u201d as someone who goes out of their way to help others (58%).<\/p>\n

Other parents say that a hero is someone who puts others before themselves (53%) or who has a strong moral compass and sticks to it (48%).<\/p>\n

Interestingly, almost three-quarters of parents polled (74%) say their definition of a \u201chero\u201d has evolved as they\u2019ve gotten older and 38% even have a different hero today than they did when they were a child.<\/p>\n

Still, more than half (56%) say their childhood hero influenced their career path as an adult.<\/p>\n

More than that, their hero also helped parents embody certain heroic traits as an adult, such as, kindness (94%), strength (90%), compassion (91%), moral righteousness (89%), bravery (87%) and confidence (87%).<\/p>\n

In fact, parents would go so far as to say that 70% of who they turned out to be as an adult stemmed from the habits and teachings of their childhood hero.<\/p>\n

\u201cThough they may change over time, it\u2019s no secret that childhood heroes have an impact on people long after they\u2019ve left the classroom,\u201d said Joy Tuner, chief academic officer for the Kiddie Academy brand. Parents polled say that an average of 72% of the values they teach as a parent stem from their childhood hero, underscoring the role heroes play throughout people\u2019s lives\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

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When asked which \u201cheroic\u201d qualities their children possessed, kindness (37%), honesty (30%), intelligence (27%), positivity (27%) and compassion (27%) topped the list.<\/p>\n

And parents are intentionally cultivating heroic qualities by teaching their child to express themselves in healthy ways (57%), allowing them to explore their own interests (55%) and practicing patience in stressful situations (52%).<\/p>\n

They\u2019re also showing their child how to set healthy boundaries (51%), show kindness to strangers (50%) and how to follow their dreams (50%).<\/p>\n

\u201cAccording to the results, 82% of kids of parents polled want to be considered a hero someday, which means parents\u2019 hard work may be paying off,\u201d said Tuner. \u201cIt\u2019s important to allow kids to find themselves and have role models who support their dreams and the qualities they most want to embody.\u201d<\/p>\n

Research methodology:<\/i><\/b>
Talker Research surveyed 2,000 parents of kids ages 4 to 12 who have access to the internet; the survey was commissioned by Kiddie Academy and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between May 21 and May 28.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n