The news that America’s vaccine rollout has stumbled is horrible news, of course, for all of us and especially for our most vulnerable citizens. The effective distribution of the vaccine is essential to save lives and get our economy back to normal speed. It’s becoming more and more clear that within the culture industry, without the vaccine, we won’t be able to get things started at all.
Throughout the pandemic, research firm WolfBrown has been surveying audiences across the country and in Ontario, Canada, on their attitudes toward returning to cultural activities. In his most recent executive briefing, Principal Alan Brown points out that 42% of his December respondents said that they will resume only after they’ve been vaccinated, up from 35% in November. Another 16% will only go out when the rate of infection is near zero (only possible with a vaccine). In Los Angeles, 32% will wait to ensure the vaccine works, and 40% will wait to see how the vaccine affects infection rates.
Consultant Coleen Dilenschneider sees increased plans to attend cultural institutions in the new year as a sign that the news of the vaccine is giving people hope. According to her research, 59% interviewed in November plan on attending within the coming year, which is up from the 51% pre-pandemic number from November 2019. While it still means that we can expect a tough first quarter, Dilenschneider does believe her numbers reveal that people can see the end and are responding positively. Or, as Imax CEO Richard Gelfond put it, “No one had a time frame before. The announcement puts bookends on in (sic)” for his industry and the 30% of movie goers who say they won’t return without a vaccine. Of course, the slower the vaccine gets out there, the further away that final bookend gets.
Brown makes it clear that the culture industry needs to push the issue, now that the vaccine is available, and act as public health adjuncts, educating people and advocating for mass vaccinations of their cities’ populations. If not, according to Brown, “half of you (the arts executives who receive his reports) are going to be gone in a year or two.”
Many culture workers are already gone, left without work due to the coronavirus. In a recent New York Times article, Patricia Cohen cited National Endowment for the Arts data showing that 52% of our country’s actors, 55% of its dancers, and 27% of its musicians were all out of work. According to the Motion Picture Association, 125,000 movie theater workers and 170,000 movie cast members and crew are not working due to the coronavirus.
From a public-health standpoint, we should remember that the vaccine, on its own, won’t stop the virus in the short term. Cultural leaders are going to need to remind audiences of that as we start opening up, and they are going to have to work with venues to ensure everyone takes the proper precautions. That said, the key factor in getting the industry up and running is the vaccine; the industry should do all it can to move the vaccination drive forward, especially now that we are (yet again) moving more slowly than is optimal.
Mark Likes Music 
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