Disneyland and Disney World are for two different audiences. Land is more of a locals park and I don't have the demographics but I'd assume it's a 80/20 mix of locals to out of town people. The summer period where the lower end passholders aren't allowed is usually a slower time now which is when we like to go. Disney added a locals one day ticket to try to get more people in. Now that the passholders are all allowed back, it's crowded to the point of having to stop letting people in at certain points. They are removing an early morning hotel benefit starting in January where you used to get in 30 minutes early on certain days. Supposedly not enough people were using it to justify the labor costs. Now, it's still expensive but I don't think locals mind anymore than people who go to Six Flags or other local theme parks. Knott's Berry Farm is also always packed and it's a step down in expense but not by a ton.
World still has that early morning benefit. World is families and vacationers. It's more of an investment because it's not meant to be something to do in a weekend like Disneyland can be. You can still find deals and do things like stay offsite or in non-Disney hotels. We did that in 2021 by staying at the Swan which was both cheaper and a better room for the money. Universal though kicks Disney's ass in terms of hotels and the benefit of staying onsite. You get their Fastpass for free and it's an easier system to use. It costs an arm and a leg to buy separately if you aren't staying at a Universal hotel.