By SWNS Staff
NEWS COPY w/ VIDEO & INFOGRAPHIC
Eight in ten parents feel their summer will be negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, with parents saying they’re going to miss out on an average of four planned events.
A new survey of 2,000 parents of school-aged children also found respondents have already spent $125.63 on average for planned events that will likely not happen.
And unfortunately, one in four say that money is nonrefundable.
The survey, conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Ally Financial, polled 2,000 parents to gauge the effect COVID-19 is likely to have on our future summer plans and revealed that things aren’t looking too good.
The survey found the top plan going by the wayside this summer is a fun trip to the beach, with half of those polled saying they had a beach plan that is more than likely going to be interrupted.
Nearly half also had a vacation spoiled as a result of the pandemic, and nearly four in ten say they’ll likely have to cancel a birthday party.
Another one in six (17%) even said they’ve had to delay a big move due to the recent health crisis.
One respondent had to cancel a trip to Rome, while another saw two concerts get canceled.
One respondent planned to take their daughter on a trip to the mountains for her 14th birthday which they had to cancel because it’s unsafe.
Speaking of which, the results showed that birthdays are quickly becoming a concern for parents looking to do something special for their children.
Over half of the panel said they had a child who was celebrating a birthday this summer and, of those, 87% are worried about how to go about making that day special for them.
Fifty-five percent of those said they plan on having a small get-together with just family for their child’s birthday, with 19% hosting some type of virtual party.
Sadly, over one in ten say they plan on doing nothing at all for their child’s birthday as a result of the pandemic.
“People are missing out on a lot of milestones right now, including birthdays,” said Andrea Brimmer, chief marketing and public relations officer at Ally. “That’s why we’ve teamed up with CAMP to offer free virtual birthday parties for kids who aren’t able to celebrate in person with their friends and families right now.”
“CAMP Counselors host the parties, provide entertainment and customize them so that each kid gets a shoutout on their special day. You can even invite your friends and families around the world to join your celebration.”
Beyond birthday parties, over half of the parents polled said they had something special planned for their child this summer that they’ve had to cancel, with parents saying they’ve had to cancel an average of three events.
Three in four agree that keeping their child entertained this summer will be quite a challenge, with parents on average saying their child(ren) will be completely frustrated by July 2nd.
And while most parents (64%) feel guilty that their children won’t have a typical summer this year, there does appear to be a silver lining.
Seven in ten say they are actually looking forward to having a slower summer in order to spend more time hanging out with their children.
“This certainly isn’t going to be the carefree summer we’ve come to expect, but that doesn’t mean you have to miss out on everything,” said Brimmer. “With a little creativity, you can make the most out of this extra time with your kids. Make sure you do some research to see what resources you have available to maximize the fun on these long summer days.”
TOP TEN SUMMER EVENTS CANCELED DUE TO COVID-19
- Trip to the beach 49%
- Vacation 48%
- Normal party 39%
- Birthday party 38%
- Family reunion 34%
- Your own birthday 30%
- Cookout 25%
- Work trip 23%
- Concert 22%
- A move 17%
