More than two-thirds of American parents are not interested in taking their kids to Disneyland right now amid the pandemic as California experiences a surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, according to a new survey.
A new poll by the Morning Consult research company and the Hollywood Reporter found that 68% of American parents aren’t ready to take their kids to the Happiest Place on Earth once the Anaheim theme park reopens.
The survey polled 2,200 Americans between July 23-26 about how safe they feel returning to Disneyland and other U.S. theme parks amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
SEE ALSO: Theme park crowds stay away due to COVID-19 spikes
Disneyland remains closed until further notice while the park awaits still-unreleased reopening guidelines from the state amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Theme parks across the country have reopened this summer with reduced capacity levels and enhanced sanitization measures.
The Disneyland resort will be closely watching and learning from the phased reopenings of Downtown Disney, Walt Disney World and other Disney theme parks around the world, according to Disneyland officials.
SEE ALSO: Only 19% feel comfortable going to a theme park, survey finds
The survey found that 78% of American parents want nothing to do with a U.S. theme park this year. Next summer looks more promising when more than twice as many parents (47% in 2021 vs. 18% in 2020) will be interested in visiting a theme park with their kids.
Disney World (26%) fared better than Universal Orlando (25%), Disneyland (24%), Universal Studios Hollywood (24%), SeaWorld Orlando (23%), Hersheypark (19%), Legoland Florida (18%), Dollywood (17%) and Cedar Point (15%) when it came to parents’ interest in going to theme parks this summer, according to the survey.
SEE ALSO: California theme parks reopen — without rides
The survey found that parents are hesitant to return to theme parks even with new health and safety measures in place.
The new data finds that attendance caps (45%), sanitization stations (43%), temperature checks (40%) and social distancing (39%) make American parents more likely to visit a U.S. theme park, according to the survey.
The poll data found that 20% of parents would be less likely to visit a theme park that has a mandatory face mask policy.
Nearly one-third of parents said enhanced health and safety protocols will make them more likely to visit Disneyland, according to the survey.
SEE ALSO: How 50+ Disneyland attractions could change when the parks reopen
Downtown Disney reopened in July with additional health and safety measures including mandatory face masks, temperature checks, reduced capacity, social distancing and enhanced sanitization. Promoting the health and safety of visitors, employees and the community is a responsibility the Disneyland resort takes seriously, according to Disneyland officials.
Morning Consult has been tracking Americans’ feelings about amusement parks since late April. Comfort levels appeared to be returning to relatively normal pre-pandemic levels earlier in the summer after months of lockdown before trending in the opposite direction in late June as coronavirus cases began to surge across the U.S., according to Morning Consult data. Since then, American consumer confidence in returning to leisure activities has refused to budge.
