EY survey: Amid global uncertainty, consumers are seeking local and live entertainment experiences — but tech remains a key enabler

• Local (48%) and live (46%) experiences have been global consumers’ most popular entertainment purchases in the past year.
• Older generations appreciate technology-enabled experiences as much as Gen Z — but Gen Z attach greater importance to sustainability.
• While cost and value for money rank top of consumers’ buying criteria, most are still willing to pay more for premium options.

The EY organization today released its inaugural Media & Entertainment (M&E) Pulse Poll, examining the perceptions, attitudes and intentions of consumers worldwide towards experiential entertainment activities such as cruises, theme parks, local entertainment, sporting events, live entertainment, and casinos and resorts. Conducted in April 2025, the survey – based on research among more than 4,000 consumers across the US, UK, Western Europe and Asia-Pacific – provides a unique snapshot of consumer sentiment at a time of significant change and uncertainty in the global economy.

The findings strongly underline the enduring appeal of real-world experiences for consumers globally. Respondents cite local and live entertainment as their most popular M&E purchases in the past year, bought by 48% and 46%, respectively. What’s more, 21% of consumers globally plan to increase their spending on each activity in the coming year. There are also significant regional differences, with Americans being more likely to purchase a casino visit in the coming 12 months (66% vs. 49% globally), and Asia-Pacific consumers more inclined toward theme parks than those in other regions (74% vs. 65% globally).

Further insights arise around the role of technology, which all consumers – including older demographics – single out as an important factor in improving the entertainment experience. The three digital capabilities that consumers globally find most useful are digital ticketing, maps and wayfinding tools, and contactless payments and check-in. Younger generations’ desire for speed and efficiency makes technology especially vital for them: Two-thirds (66%) of Gen Z respondents plan to buy fast and/or priority passes to theme parks in the coming year, compared to 59% of all consumers.

Turning to buying considerations, overall cost and value for money emerges as the most important factor for consumers globally (59%) when choosing an entertainment activity. As expected, lower income individuals were more price sensitive than higher income groups. Global consumers also cite high cost/expense as the single biggest deterrent of enjoyment (52%), ahead of crowded spaces and long wait times (both 42%). Furthermore, there are some interesting differences by age: For example, Gen Z respondents rank cleanliness higher (27%) than do consumers globally (21%).

Other key findings include:

• Premium products and services remain popular – and most often meet expectations

Among those who purchased large theme park visits or cruises in the past year, about half (49%) bought upgrades or premium options, as did more than a third of people buying casino/resort visits and sporting events. In most cases, consumers feel the extra expense was worthwhile: 56% of those buying upgrades at theme parks say these met their expectations, reflecting the desire for greater efficiency. People in Asia-Pacific are significantly more likely than the global average to buy premium packages for entertainment such as large theme parks (59% vs. 49% globally), sporting events (42% vs. 37% globally) and live entertainment (37% vs. 26% globally).

• Motivations for buying vary between generations – with younger consumers focusing more on mental health

Asked about their primary emotional motivations for purchasing an entertainment experience, most consumers globally say they’re seeking moments of joy and excitement (62%) and wanting to spend quality time with loved ones (55%). But younger people (Gen Z and Millennials) are more likely to cite “improving mental health” compared to older generations (32% Gen Z and 27% Millennials vs. 23% globally).

• Younger consumers are more likely to pay more for sustainable features

When buying entertainment experiences, the sustainable features that consumers globally are most willing to pay extra for are locally sourced food (69%) and contribution to local communities (67%). But unsurprisingly, younger generations are significantly more receptive to spending a large premium of 26% or more on all sustainable features – including carbon offsetting (28% Gen Z and 16% Millennials vs. 12% globally); lower carbon footprint (25% Gen Z and 15% Millennials vs. 11% globally); and water conservation practices (23% Gen Z and 15% Millennials vs. 11% globally). That younger consumers are willing to pay a premium for sustainable features is remarkable considering that they are generally in the lowest socioeconomic group.

Javi Borges, EY Global and EY Americas Media & Entertainment (M&E) Sector Leader, comments: “At a time of global economic and geopolitical upheaval, our research shows consumers’ desire for immersive, live entertainment experiences is as strong as ever – and potentially getting stronger. For providers offering these experiences, this robust demand presents major opportunities. But to reap the full benefits, they’ll need to understand consumers’ varying motivations and preferences – and align their efforts, accordingly, including making effective use of technology to meet rising expectations.”

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Survey methodology

EY Global conducted a 10-minute quantitative survey among a statistically significant sample of 4,000 global consumers aged 18 to 65 who have purchased media & entertainment experiences such as cruises, theme parks, concerts and sporting events within the past 12 months. The sample included 1,000 nationally representative US consumers, 1,000 nationally representative UK consumers, 1,000 Western European consumers (evenly split across France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Finland, Sweden and Norway) and 1,000 APAC consumers (evenly split across Japan, China, South Korea and Australia). Statistical significance is calculated at a 95% confidence interval with a global margin of error +/- 1.5 points.

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