Time to return to theme parks? Not yet, say nearly 80% of parents, poll finds
Even Disneyland, which remains closed, and Walt Disney World can’t lure most parents back to theme parks with their kids as the coronavirus pandemic continues, a new poll finds.
The poll, by Morning Consult and The Hollywood Reporter, finds that 78% of U.S. parents say it’s too soon to return to any theme park this summer.
Twenty-six percent of parents say they’re willing to try Walt Disney World this summer, while 24% say the same for Disneyland when it reopens.
Steps taken by Disney parks to curb the spread of coronavirus, such as capping daily visitors, had little effect on the willingness of parents to make a trip this summer.
Other prominent theme parks also fared poorly. Here are the percentages of parents willing to visit:
Universal Orlando, 25%
Universal Studios Hollywood, 24%
SeaWorld Orlando, 23%
Legoland Florida, 18%
Dollywood, 17%
Cedar Point in Ohio, 15%
But 47% of the parents surveyed say they’d consider a theme park visit by summer 2021.
The survey, conducted among 2,200 U.S. adults in July, has a margin of error of 2 percent, the company says. The 962 parents asked about theme parks are a subset of that survey, with a margin of error of 3 percent.
Walt Disney World and Downtown Disney in Anaheim opened in July, while the rest of the Disneyland Resort remains closed, Deadline reported. Hours of operation will be cut at the Florida park in September.
Disney reported a $3.5 billion loss in the third quarter of 2020, with an 85% drop in parks, experiences and products revenues, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
More than 19.7 million cases of the COVID-19 virus have been confirmed worldwide with more than 728,000 deaths as of Sunday, August 9, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States has more than 5 million confirmed cases with more than 162,000 deaths.
The World Health Organization has declared coronavirus a global pandemic. In the United States, President Donald Trump has declared a national emergency.
