Survey finds 80% of parents say summer plans will be negatively impacted by COVID-19 crisis

June 1, 2020June 1, 2020 The Big Kahuna

DutcherAerials(LOS ANGELES) — With parts of the country opening back up, but many summer mainstays like sleep-away camps cancelled, parents say they’re going to have their hands full keeping their kids entertained during the summer of COVID-19.

The non-scientific survey on 2,000 American parents, conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Ally Financial, revealed eight in ten parents predicted their summer plans would be dashed by the virus, with 75% saying they were concerned about how they were going to keep their kids occupied.

Sixty-four percent said they feel guilty that their children won’t have a typical summer this year.

Those polled also said they’ve already cancelled plans they had made prior to the crisis, with 49% saying a trip to the beach was shelved, 48% a vacation trip, 39% a summer party, 38% a special birthday, and 34% canceling a family reunion.

In fact, the average parent surveyed already spent $125.63 on those now-cancelled plans.

For those parents whose kids have summer birthdays, 87% are worried about how to make that day special for them. Fifty-five percent of those said they plan on having a “just family” get-together to commemorate, while 19% plan to host some type of virtual party.

The survey wasn’t all bad news, however. Seven in ten parents say they’re looking forward to this locked-down summer to slow down and spend more time with family.