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Are Men Bigger Theme Park Addicts Than Women?

Pyra wonders why most of the TPI regulars are men when it seems that women would enjoy TPI more.

From Pyra Dong
Posted May 12, 2010 at 10:03 AM
As I browse TPI, I realize that many of the "regulars" seem to be men. (Of course I haven't met anybody yet, so I can't be sure those are actually guys' names-- but I'm pretty sure they are) Why is that?

I admit, when I think "theme park," I think thrill rides, roller coasters, big stuff-- guy stuff.

But then when I think "Theme Park Insider," I think more of how good costumes were during a show, the theming of a ride, the music, the family fun stuff-- girl stuff (I think so anyway).

I AM A THEME PARK ADDICT! And I'm definitely a chica. Can someone explain this fascinating phenomenon to me? Are guys truly bigger theme park fans (overall) than women?


Comments in chronological order. Most recent at the bottom. Scroll down to respond.

From Brandon Mendoza
Posted May 12, 2010 at 1:07 PM
I'm not sure what to think. I think Men are more likely to be on the internet more than women I'd say, so maybe that's part of why there are more males on TPI.

But music, theming, etc. is beyond gender as there are artists and musicians and people that appreciate both art and music... which most Theme Parks do very well.

While I do agree that thrill rides seem to be male dominated, I think a lot of male Theme Park "addicts" are closet fans... like their friends may not appreciate a guy wearing a Mickey Mouse or Harry Potter Shirt. But on the internet, no one cares. Just my two cents!

From Robert Niles
Posted May 12, 2010 at 1:35 PM
Men are more likely to post on ThemeParkInsider.com...but over on our Facebook page, it's the women who are more likely to comment over there.

My survey demographics show that the actual readership of the site is split evenly, 50%-50%. So I wouldn't say that women are more or less likely to be theme park fans than men. But that since the editor of the site is a man (i.e., me), that's probably led more men to "delurk" and comment than women, since it's a male voice we hear most often on the site. Which, in turns, encourages more men to post. So the posting demographic becomes self-fulfilling.

The solution? I gotta get Laurie and Natalie to start posting around here.... Perhaps those female voices will encourage our female readers to chime in more often.

From Bob Miller
Posted May 13, 2010 at 6:14 AM
Robert, I agree with you and Brandon and as far as males posting, it took me awhile before I even posted something. I think that was because I was afraid of saying the wrong thing.

I think females might feel the same way, unsure if their comments make a difference. From what I remember from another thread, a number of people said they read the posts, but it took them a year or two, to get up the courage to actually post something.

And then, males might be afraid to post comments on say, costumes, the flower show at Epcot, parades, or other things like that, for fear of being type cast.

And I encourage all women and girls to post on TPI, we men and boys need to accept other points of view. It's great to be able to chat with people from all around this big beautiful world of ours. So to all you people lurking out there, afraid to post, just start typing and join the fun, your opinion does matter.

From Joshua Counsil
Posted May 13, 2010 at 9:19 AM
Moving off the site and to the parks for a second...

At theme parks, who is the target demographic? Families. In the traditional nuclear family, who ends up watching the kids?

So in a typical day at a theme park, which partner can enjoy the sights, sounds, and smells while the other partner makes sure nobody eats before riding or swimming, keeps track of nap time schedules, prevents Timmy from dropping ice cream on his new t-shirt Aunt Martha bought him, sets up a location to meet in case the party gets separated, packs a bag of snacks, sunscreen, water, cameras, first aid staples, and raincoats, and all the while has the parking spot location identifier memorized in her head?

From Hermione Potter
Posted May 13, 2010 at 9:41 AM
Josh, when I was kid my dad was responsible for all that stuff and my mom was the one responsible for planning the route and deciding what to go on. I know you were implying women never get to see the parks as they are meant to be seen but not everybody's family or even most families are run like that. :)

From Meagan Evanoff
Posted May 13, 2010 at 9:54 AM
As a lady theme park lover, I would just say - for myself at least - it's not TPI, it's the internet at large. No matter how great the blog, the comments section is usually a mess - trolling, inside jokes, etc. So, I skip reading them or turn them off. And I'll fully admit that I've been in this mode for over a year now.

That said, I don't think TPI's comments section is a mess - I just generally don't read the comments, and don't comment myself, because the rest of the internet has scared me off. (The few times I have read the comments, they seemed pretty astute!)

Additionally, I haven't been to some of the parks that get mentioned fairly frequently (Holiday World), so I don't feel like I have much to add.

I don't know that a female blogger would get my attention or cause me to de-lurk any more or less.

I know I'd love to see a non-family (adult singles or couples) theme park article series, and might get involved in that discussion. But I bet I'm in the minority there...

From Tyler Bell
Posted May 13, 2010 at 10:49 AM
im a huge theme park addict

From Bob Miller
Posted May 13, 2010 at 5:57 PM
Hermione, welcome to TPI, from your bio, you joined the site today. And Meagan, welcome too, nice to see newcomers join in the fun here at TPI.

Robert, our fearless leader is a great guy, maybe he'll take your advice Meagan and do something on the non-family subject.

From luis gonzalez
Posted May 13, 2010 at 6:59 PM
Meagan Evanoff is a loser lol rofl lmao brb asl,


JK!,

with love luis G a.k.a (TPI troll)

p.s WORD!!!!!!!!!

From Pyra Dong
Posted May 13, 2010 at 7:08 PM
I would really like to run into "Luis" one day-- just to see if he really says "word" in real life.

True... I actually don't see many women commenting on any other sites to begin with. Hmm, I wonder why. Maybe Joshua's right-- we're too busy chasing the kids around OUTSIDE of theme parks to be commenting online. Oh GASP(!) I hope I still enjoy theme parks when I become a housewife and have kids. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

From luis gonzalez
Posted May 13, 2010 at 7:45 PM
i dont say word in real life, its just a trademark to make my comments more memorable

WORD!!!!!!!

From Steph Ramos
Posted May 14, 2010 at 12:38 AM
Moving a bit away from the topic at large here...I have to agree with Meagan's comment...it sounds like a pretty good idea...
"I know I'd love to see a non-family (adult singles or couples) theme park article series, and might get involved in that discussion. But I bet I'm in the minority there..."

And no hun, you're not the minority here...while it is true that families are the one's that frequent most theme parks...there is a pretty big group of people that don't frequent them with their families all the time...

For example....past Six Flags advertising campaigns seemed more targeted toward the young adult set, its only recently that they've converted to a more family based marketing strategy...

Anyway...back to the topic at large...I personally think its a generational thing...the whole Men Vs. Women on theme park addiction...

Older generations of people seem to have men at the forefront of theme park addiction...I've seen many examples of this in my own family as well as in friends and their families. As for younger generations, the gap seems to equal off a bit between the boys and girls...with both sharing the addiction more or less...

From hannah caller
Posted May 14, 2010 at 2:25 AM
im a girl and i love Theme Parks and TPI unfortunately i dont get to visit either of these things as often as i would like to!

From Scott B
Posted May 14, 2010 at 5:29 AM
I know my wife is just as much of a themepark fan as I am. But on the flip side, she would never post comments on a blog or would she read up on themepark news. She would rather me just give her news updates than find out for herself. Yeah, I can't explain it.

From Sara M
Posted May 14, 2010 at 6:38 AM
As a fellow theme Park Insider member and lady I must say that I really am a lover of all things theme park including all sorts of thrill rides. My Boyfriend on the other hand truely dislikes all rides, especially roller coasters. When I've asked why he says its because he feels so out of control on thrill rides and the fear takes away the enjoyment. On the other hand that fear is what i love! The butterflies before the big drop! I know so many women who love heading to the theme parks and riding all the most thrilling rides so I would def. say that men and woman probably balance out on the themepark fans list.

From hannah caller
Posted May 15, 2010 at 5:21 AM
Sara both my boyfriend and my dad are exactly the same as your boyfriend!!

From Dan Babbitt
Posted May 16, 2010 at 1:30 PM
You could say that the name "Theme Park" turns people off. Maybe people think that we mainly talk about the thrill rides and coasters. Though we do of course but they dont understand that we talk about everything including hotels, restaurants and the Jungle Cruise.

So you could argue that "Theme Park"="Thrill Rides" to some people but I wouldnt change the name.

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