Most Americans won't attend live shows until a coronavirus vaccine is available, new poll finds
A new poll has found that the majority of Americans would not attend live concerts again until a vaccine for the coronavirus is available.
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in live shows and festivals worldwide to be cancelled or postponed, with large-scale events such as Coachella and Glastonbury among those to have been scrapped this summer.
While the implemented ban on mass gatherings looks set to remain in place over the coming months, Reuters/Ipsos have conducted a new opinion poll in which they asked US citizens whether they would attend mass gatherings before there is a proven COVID-19 vaccine.
Out of 4,429 American adults who took part in the poll between April 15 to 21, just 40% said that they would go back to concerts and similarly large events before a vaccine is found. Another 40% said they would stay at home until a vaccine is available, while the remaining 20% said they were unsure or may never go to mass gathering events again.
In terms of the film industry, it was found that just 27% of Americans would be willing to return to the cinema before a coronavirus vaccine is found.
It has been predicted that it could take up to 18 months for a coronavirus vaccine to come to the market, which was made clear to participants of the new poll.
This comes after an American healthcare expert claimed that festivals and concerts were unlikely to return until autumn 2021.
“Larger gatherings – conferences, concerts, sporting events – when people say they’re going to reschedule this conference or graduation event for October 2020, I have no idea how they think that’s a plausible possibility. I think those things will be the last to return,” said Zeke Emanuel, a bioethicist and professor of healthcare management.
Among those events to have postponed until autumn of this year is the 2020 edition of Coachella Festival, which moved from early April to the weekends of October 9 and October 16.
Amid the absence of live shows, many artists have been entertaining fans during the lockdown by live-streaming performances from their homes. Last weekend, the Lady Gaga-curated One World: Together at Home event saw a number of big names broadcast special sets in aid of the COVID-19 Response Fund.
