As COVID-19 restrictions are easing and more Americans are getting vaccinated, only 1 in 6 U.S. adults is currently holding tickets to an upcoming live event, according to a Bankrate.com survey.
“For all that we’ve been hearing about pent-up demand and revenge spending, the vast majority of Americans are taking a wait-and-see attitude when it comes to live events,” said Ted Rossman, a Bankrate.com senior industry analyst. “Our data suggests that consumers are not clamoring for these kinds of tickets right now. Retailers, restaurants and even travel seem to be rebounding much more quickly than large public events.”
Overall, only 8% of those surveyed are currently holding tickets for an upcoming concert or music festival, 6% have tickets to a live theater or comedy performance, 5% have tickets to a professional or college sporting event and 2% to some other public event requiring advanced ticket purchases, the survey said.
Only 1 in 5, or 20%, of fully vaccinated people has tickets to upcoming events, and 12% of those who do not plan to get vaccinated have purchased tickets.
Nearly 40% of U.S. adults surveyed said they would be more likely to attend a publicly-ticketed event if the organizer required proof of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 34% said vaccine passports would make no difference in their decision to purchase a ticket and 28% would be less likely to attend an event if vaccine passports were required.
Of the youngest adults surveyed — Gen Zers (18 to 24 years old) and Millennials (25 to 40 years old) — 46% said they are more likely to prefer events that require vaccine passports than older Americans.
Younger adults (26%) are also “far more likely” than older Americans (10%) to hold tickets.
Fifty-one percent of higher-income Americans ($80K+) are also more likely to attend an event if a vaccine passport is required, compared to 40% of middle-income households ($40K to $80K) and 30% of lower-income Americans (under $40K).
These figures are in line with the likelihood of getting vaccinated.
Sixty-one percent of higher-income Americans are fully vaccinated, or expect to be soon, compared with 55% of middle-income households and 46% in the lowest income bracket.
Bankrate.com commissioned YouGov to conduct its survey.
The sample size was 3,254 adults, and the survey was conducted from March 24 to March 27, 2021. The survey was carried out online, meeting “rigorous quality standards,” the news release said.
