Ninety-eight percent of struggling households with children of high school age or older believe that their economic circumstances may impact their children's education paths and school entrance examination preparations, a survey by a nonprofit organization showed Tuesday.

The nonprofit group, Kidsdoor, said there are calls for the widespread adoption of public support systems to help children from families in need take entrance exams.

The online survey, taken between October and November last year, covered 4,200 households registered for Kidsdoor's aid system, including those on welfare and single-parent households. It gained valid responses from 1,160 households, or 27%.

Out of the 465 surveyed households with children of high school age or older, 87% responded that they feel strongly that their economic situations will affect their children's university applications and education choices, while 11% said they somewhat feel that, totaling 457 households.

When asked about the specific possible impacts, with multiple responses allowed, 75% of them said that their children may not be able to attend cram schools and other out-of-school lessons to prepare for exams. Sixty-five percent said that their children may limit the number of schools they apply to in order to curb examination fees, while 35% said that their children may give up on higher education and look for employment.

Regarding public assistance that they wish to have, many respondents called for subsidies or exemptions for examination fees, as well as financial aid for out-of-school lesson tuition.

"I hope that systems that cover entrance examination fees and cram school tuitions, which have been adopted by some municipalities, will be spread nationwide so that children who are working hard can take examinations with peace of mind," Kidsdoor head Yumiko Watanabe said.