A new survey of registered voters suggests Houstonians are in the mood for more entertainment, with a majority saying they would enthusiastically support the arrival of a destination theme park and additional professional sports teams.
Key Findings
- 64% of Houston's registered voters say they are enthusiastic about the possibility of a destination theme park opening here. More than half say they would visit such a park at least once a year.
- 60% are enthusiastic about a Women's National Basketball Association team coming to town.
- 57% said the same about a National Hockey League team.
- Nearly half had visited Hermann Park (48%) or Memorial Park (46%) within the past year. One-third visited Discovery Green in downtown Houston.
Almost two-thirds of Houston residents say they are enthusiastic about the possibility of a destination theme park opening in the area, according to the latest research from the Hobby School of Public Affairs at the University of Houston. More than half said they would visit such a theme park at least once a year.
And six out of 10 are eager to see the Women's National Basketball Association return to Houston. Almost as many, 57%, are enthusiastic about having a National Hockey League team in the city.
"We found a strong interest among Houstonians for getting out and being active," said Renée Cross, researcher and senior executive director of the Hobby School. "Nearly half of residents had visited Hermann Park or Memorial Park within the past year, and one-third had gone to Discovery Green in downtown Houston. The support for more entertainment and sporting options reflects this enthusiasm."
The survey found somewhat less enthusiasm for two other sports, with 45% saying they were excited about the possibility of a Major Arena Soccer League team and 29% saying the same about a Major League Cricket team.
Mark P. Jones, a political science fellow at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy and senior research associate at the Hobby School, highlighted the especially strong enthusiasm for a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team, a National Hockey League (NHL) team and a theme park, noting that "while the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex has a WNBA team, a NHL team and two destination theme parks, Houston has neither a WNBA or NHL team nor a theme park. Houstonians want to see that change."
Among the report's other findings:
- 84% of Black Houstonians are enthusiastic about Houston getting a WNBA team, compared to 49% of white Houstonians, with women (72%) also much more enthusiastic about women's professional basketball than men (48%).
- Younger people, those with children at home and those with a college degree were most likely to have visited one of the city's major public parks within the last year. 58% of people 18-34 visited Hermann Park, for example, compared to 41% of people 55 and older.
- 29% said they would visit a theme park similar to Disney World or Universal Studios more than once a year. 27% said they would visit once a year, and another 27% less than once a year. 17% said they would never visit a theme park. 40% of Houstonians with children under 18 at home said they would visit more than once a year.
- 37% of Houstonians said they rely on local television stations as their main source of news. 29% said they get most of their news from social media, and 16% listed the Houston Chronicle as their main source of news. 11% said they rely on local radio stations.
The full report is available on the Hobby School website. The survey was conducted between March 29 and April 4, 2025, in English and Spanish. The representative sample population included 1,400 registered voters in Houston, with a margin of error of +/-2.62%. Previous reports examined attitudes about quality of life issues in the city and the 18 th Congressional District special election.
Story by Jeannie Kever
