By SWNS Staff
NEWS COPY W/ VIDEO + INFOGRAPHIC
It’s official, Americans are counting on summer 2021. A new survey of 2,000 American parents found that families are planning to reclaim summer 2021 and just have fun.
After the mulligan year of 2020, it’s no surprise that 62% of respondents said summer 2020 didn’t really count due to the pandemic and 58% have very high expectations for summer 2021.
In fact, seven in 10 parents are devising a plan to safely take back summer with their families this year and 68% plan to make up for lost time.
With all of this in mind, it’s no wonder respondents said the best part of summer is spending more time with family.
Conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Juicy Juice, the survey found American parents are ambitious as well, with 64% wanting to safely plan a year’s worth of activities into their summer schedules.
An additional 64% of parents polled agreed this summer is a welcome relief to the challenges they faced over the past year – between at-home schooling and working remotely.
As families are planning how they’re taking back summer, 63% of parents surveyed agreed a second spent indoors this summer is a second wasted.
Nearly three-quarters of respondents also shared their families are depending on feel-good fun, like beach days or backyard festivities, to make up for the events of the last year.
Some of the top planned summer activities include beach days and social-distanced barbeques, followed closely by camping trips and pool days.
Thirty-four percent of respondents are also eager to find a way to safely visit their family this summer as well. A third of respondents are also kicking it old school and camping in the backyard or even going on a summer road trip.
Other family activities in the summer 2021 agenda include movie nights (29%), game nights (24%) and picnics (20%). Respondents also plan to spend time outdoors by going to a lake (17%), playing in the yard with classics like hopscotch and sidewalk chalk (16%), and hiking (15%).
Just over a quarter (26%) of parents are also planning to break out the hose and water balloons or even just run through the sprinklers with the family.
“Whether it’s camping in the backyard or taking a vacation, parents are looking forward to spending time with their families and planning safe activities to have a feel-good, fun-filled summer,” said Ilene Bergenfeld, Chief Marketing Officer for Juicy Juice “It’s also apparent that there are plenty of activities to do in your own backyard or within your neighborhood to create fun memories while staying safe.”
Parents also reflected on their favorite summer memories with the family and shared personal moments from summers past. The survey found that the best summer memories may just be the simplest, with many respondents recalling backyard nights, beach days and family vacations as favorite memories.
Respondents also shared fond memories of bicycle rides and campouts, and one respondent shared a memory of a cross-country RV road trip from New York to California.
Regardless of their summer plans, 66% of parents polled agreed they’re going to cherish every single memory made this summer to make up for losing out on summer 2020.
“We can see that summer memories are some of the most cherished by parents, both of their childhood and as their own kids grow up,” continued Bergenfeld. “A lot has happened since last year, so it’s important for Americans to take time to safely make new memories with their families.”
TOP SUMMER 2021 ACTIVITIES
- Beach day - 42%
- Social-distanced barbeque - 38%
- Camping trip elsewhere - 35%
- Pool day - 35%
- Visiting family (safely and according to social distance guidelines) - 34%
- Camping in the backyard - 33%
- Road trip - 32%
- Movie night - 29%
- Play water games (water balloons, sprinklers, etc.) - 26%
- Game night - 24%
- Cooking with kids - 24%
- Have a picnic - 20%
- Celebrate a birthday - 20%
- Eat watermelon - 19%
- Setting off fireworks - 18%
- Eat popsicles - 18%
- Go to a lake (I.e., go fishing, go boating) - 17%
- Drink lemonade - 17%
- Play in the yard (hopscotch, sidewalk chalk) - 16%
- Go on a hike - 15%
- Crafting - 14%
- Celebrate a graduation - 12%
- Attend a family reunion/get together -12%
- Celebrate an anniversary - 7%