Cost of admission to live events: Which markets are feeling the pinch most?

Amid the mounting pressure of global inflation on consumers, new YouGov data shows more than two in five consumers around the world are feeling the price increase of attending live events.

Survey results show 17% of consumers in 18 markets say the price of admission to entertainment venues has gone up a lot, while another 27% say it has gone up a little.

This type of consumer sentiment is critical knowledge for brands as people rearrange their finances in the face of ballooning living costs, caused by a confluence of events including supply-chain issues, labor shortages and the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Live entertainment is firmly in the category of discretionary spending and such spending may decrease to accommodate rising prices in necessities like food and fuel.

Of course, the proportion of consumers feeling the pinch differs between markets. Those in emerging markets like Mexico (30%), India (28%), and Poland (24%) are most likely to feel as though ticket prices have gone up a lot in the past year. On the other end of the spectrum, those in Sweden (9%), Denmark (6%) and Hong Kong (3%) are least likely to say so.

Not all consumers in all developed economies feel the same way. In the United States, for instance, roughly a quarter say the price of admission has gone up a lot (23%), another 18% say it has gone up a little. Indeed, respondents are right. The cost of admission into a sporting event has increased by just over 4% in the past year.

Consumers in Great Britain don’t feel quite as squeezed at the box office. Just 12% say the price of admission to venues has gone up a lot, while another 25% say it has gone up a little.

Receive monthly topical insights about the Leisure and entertainment industry, straight to your inbox. Sign up today.

Discover more leisure and entertainment content here

Want to run your own research? Start building a survey now

Methodology: The data is based on the interviews of adults aged 18 and over in 18 markets with sample sizes varying between 513 and 2,007 for each market. All interviews were conducted online in February 2022. Data from each market uses a nationally representative sample apart from Mexico and India, which use urban representative samples, and Indonesia and Hong Kong, which use online representative samples.