Fear Factor Goes Viral
A NEW STUDY REVEALS DEEPENING DREAD OVER PUBLIC VENUES — AND SOME SURPRISING CHANGES IN POPULAR TASTE
FOR WEEKS NOW, as COVID-19 restrictions across the country have begun to ease (or, in some cases, even where they haven’t), national and local news outlets have relentlessly reported on a seeming torrent of people streaming into public spaces. The coverage points to a commonsense understanding: Spending two months sheltering in place with little to no human contact has produced an overpowering need for people to gather outside their homes.
According to an exclusive new study, however, that media coverage belies a deeper truth: Anxiety over health and safety in public spaces still greatly outweighs the desire to leave home, and the disparity has only gotten larger as the pandemic has unfolded. The results — from a survey of roughly 1,000 people in mid-may by sports and events analytics firm Performance Research in partnership with Full Circle Research Co. — point to just how steep a climb the entertainment industry has in front of it to win back public perception that it’s safe to attend, and spend money on, public events again.
Take this answer to the question of whether respondents would rather see a first-run film as a digital rental at home or in a movie theater, if both were available today: A whopping 70% say they are more likely to watch from their couch, while just 13% say they are more likely to watch at a local cinema (with 17% not sure).
“Just as the country begins to open up, there has been a swing toward increasing caution, with a majority of Americans clearly saying, ‘Not yet,’ when it comes to attending large public events,” says Jed Pearson, president of Performance Research.
The top-line findings — especially in comparison with a similar Performance Research study conducted in mid-march — are equally stark. Even after the CDC and local governments say it’s safe to do so, 52% of respondents say they will attend fewer large public events. That’s a marked