As soccer season approaches, the National Soccer League, the National College Athletics Association, and high schools across the country are weighing whether they should have fans at games, or even play. On Thursday, Major League Baseball finally began its 2020 season with no fans in the stands.
Even if sports leagues tried to attract fans, they would likely have little turnout. Only 20% of Americans say they feel comfortable enough to attend a concert, sports venue, or large gathering, according to a Fortune and SurveyMonkey survey of 2,802 American adults conducted between July 17-21.
And 59% of Americans say it would take more than six months for them to feel comfortable enough to attend those events.
When sporting events or concerts return from the crowd can follow the lines. Among Republicans, 37% already feel comfortable enough to attend a concert, sports venue or large gathering. That number is only 5% among Democrats.
It’s not just concert halls and sports leagues that face a brutally long road to recovery: Only 43% of American adults say they already feel comfortable dining inside a restaurant, and 26% say that they feel comfortable enough to hang out indoors at a bar. Only 27% of frequent flyers are ready to board a flight again.
Americans have a pessimistic view of when their lives and the economy will return to normal. Among American adults, 53% say it will take more than a year for the economy to return to normal. Only 8% see that it will recover in the next three months.
