Poll Shows Adults Love Theme Parks…So Why Are They Going Less and Less?

Theme parks have gone through a wild ride over the last few years.

When the COVID-19 closures hit in 2020, life changed, as did the way we experience theme parks. Trips got canceled and policies changed. As things started to get back to normal, Disney World saw a spike in attendance as people attempted to make up for lost time. But now, even though some polls show that theme parks are popular amount adults, things are looking a little quieter in the parks than some might expect. So what’s going on?

What the Data Says

First, let’s take things back a second (hop aboard our time machine, won’t you?). A 2018 study by Morning Consult, showed that (at that time) the majority of adults viewed theme parks in a positive light. When asked if they had a “favorable or unfavorable impression of theme parks,” a total of 75% answered either “somewhat favorable” or “very favorable” (when looking at those combined results).

Favorability was slightly higher among women (by just 1 point overall). In terms of age, the highest favorability was for those between the ages of 18 and 29. Overall, adults seemed to think highly of these parks.

But that was back in 2018. A LOT has changed since then. So what do things look like in more recent times?

YouGov has been looking at the activity of “going to theme parks” over a period of time. They explain that YouGov Ratings “measures Going to theme parks’s popularity and fame every quarter.”

According to YouGov, “The latest data is based on 1431 nationally representative interviews of the US population, collected during Q2 2023.” In Q2 of 2023, YouGov information indicated that 61% of individuals shared that going to theme parks was an activity they liked.

Their data seems to suggest that theme parks are still generally “liked by” a good amount of adults, from millennials to baby boomers.

In 2023, Millennials outweigh older generations when it comes to theme park favorability, but as a whole, perception of these parks is rather high.

Though the “popularity” (meaning it is actually liked by those interviewed) of theme parks has changed a bit over time, it still seems to remain fairly high.

So if theme parks are still pretty popular, why do people seem to be going less (at least to certain spots)?

Our Observations

Things have been interesting this summer at Disney World. In some places and on some days, there haven’t been quite as many crowds as you might have expected during the typically busy summer season (when little kiddos, teens, and even college kids are out of school and families take advantage to visit).

The crowds from the Fourth of July were particularly surprising and not nearly as bad as some would have anticipated.

Now, that’s not to say that Disney World has been a ghost town this summer. Even a slightly emptier Disney World during the summer can still be a busy Disney World. We have seen some wait times creep up to cringe-worthy levels and big crowds in certain places. But at other times, wait times haven’t been all that bad and crowds have been more sparse — it truly depends on the day and area.

But that’s not all. We’ve also seen Disney World offer a number of discounts for summer trips (and trips even into the holiday season). While that simply could indicate a willingness to offer discounts, it can also serve as a motivating factor to get more guests to book rooms at a time when perhaps Disney is sensing they could use a greater influx of guests.

We’ve also seen Annual Passes continue to be available for purchase, despite Disney having initially warned that pass availability could be limited. Plus, Park Pass reservations have also been generally open for nearly all guests (with some exceptions).

Now, that doesn’t necessarily have to be attributed to lower attendance. It could be due to increases in capacity or other factors, but it’s still interesting to note. But it goes beyond that…

What Disney Says

Earlier this year, Christine McCarthy (who was, at that point, Disney’s CFO — Chief Financial Officer — but has since stepped down from her role), noted some interesting things about the financial status at the parks.

Though overall the Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products division did well, there were some “slightly unfavorable” results within the domestic parks (when compared to the prior-year quarter). Specifically, there was a decrease at Disney World due to “higher costs” attributed to “cost inflation, increased expenses associated with new guest offerings and higher depreciation.” But there were also increased volumes in the form of attendance growth and higher occupied room nights.

McCarthy explained, “Per cap growth was more moderate this quarter as we are comparing against the first full quarter of offering Genie+ and Lightning Lane at both parks in the prior year.” In other words, things weren’t growing as much as perhaps some had hoped.

She also stated that “in the back half of this fiscal year, there will be an unfavorable comparison against the prior year’s incredibly successful 50th-anniversary celebration at Walt Disney World. We typically see some moderation in demand as we lap these types of events, and third quarter-to-date performance has been in line with those historical trends.”

So basically, because Disney World’s 50th Anniversary celebrations have ended, they expect some slightly unfavorable results (when compared to the prior year) as folks might not feel as compelled to visit the Most Magical Place on Earth.

That might be impacting some adults’ decisions to visit the Disney World theme parks this year, particularly during the summer, since the 100th Anniversary celebrations at Disney World won’t even begin in earnest until September.

All of that, along with a lack of new rides opening this summer (several new Disney attractions are set to open by the end of the year, but not quite yet) and ever-increasing prices could be causing adults to cancel or postpone their trips to Disney for now.

Plus, 2024 will bring back the Disney Dining Plan, will see some Disney World hotel changes, and will also be the year when Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will open. So it’s possible some fans would rather wait until next year to visit.

See why planning a 2024 Disney World vacation is so hard right now

Is Disney Worried?

By now you might be wondering, “Is Disney worried about what feels like a slightly emptier summer in the Disney World parks?” And according to Disney CEO Bob Iger, the answer is “no.”

In a prior interview, Iger defended Disney’s park attendance numbers, explaining that things like temperature and increased competition (now that more things are open than they were initially post-pandemic) may have factored into the comparatively softer demand this year.

As Iger mentioned, one big thing that could be factoring into why guests aren’t visiting theme parks (or, at least Disney World) as much is that there are lots of OTHER things to do now (again).

Some of the experiences and travel that might not have reopened as quickly as Disney World are back now. So, while some might have previously felt like Disney World was the only entertainment that was open for them to experience, now international travel, cruising, and other experiences are available.

He also discussed hotel tax revenue, explaining hotel tax revenue has been down by 6-7%  in some counties in Florida. That could indicate that Florida as a whole is being impacted, not just Disney World.

Iger said that he believes  “pricing is not an issue” in terms of demand. He also indicated that Disney does not have “long-term concerns” about the parks and that they’re not “wringing [their] hands over it.”

Other Theme Parks

How are things looking at one of Disney’s biggest competitors — Universal? According to a recent earnings report, Universal’s “Domestic theme parks revenue remained consistent primarily due to higher revenue at our theme park in Hollywood driven by the opening of Super Nintendo World, offset by lower revenue at our theme park in Orlando which continues to be above prepandemic levels.”

Overall, Comcast reported “record results at Parks.” But again, looking at the parks in Orlando, things weren’t quite as strong as last year. They noted, “In Orlando, our comparisons were impacted by unprecedented levels of visitation last year, but underlying momentum remains healthy as attendance
was relatively in line with 2019 pre-pandemic levels, while revenue was substantially ahead of 2019 levels.”

During the earnings call, the Comcast President fully acknowledged that in Orlando they’re “down on attendance” but considering how there were “unprecedented” attendance levels following the pandemic, they were not surprised by the “softening.” And he shared that they “feel good” about what they’re seeing in Orlando.

So it sounds like while things at Universal Orlando are above pre-pandemic levels, there was some lower revenue there too compared to 2022, which they seem to be attributing to just how MANY people likely wanted to visit last year after having not been able to during the pandemic versus now, when that strong desire may have faded a bit.

Still, they remain optimistic about the future, particularly as they’re working on new theme parks including Epic Universe.

And with the Halloween and Holiday seasons around the corner, crowds at various theme parks might start to pick up before we know it.

We’ll continue to keep an eye out for updates from Disney and other theme parks that could impact your trip. Disney has an earnings call coming up in August that could provide some BIG updates about attendance and financial numbers from the parks, so check back with us for details on that. And, as always, stay tuned to AllEars for all the latest Disney news!

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Do you feel like you’re going to theme parks less? Why or why not? Let us know in the comments below!

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