As part of our Big Surveys project, YouGov recently conducted an in-depth study on sports, exploring Britons' attitudes and behaviours towards sports-related topics, from participation levels to political expressions within the arena.
We looked at the attitudes and opinions of Britons on sport: from how interested they are in sport and how often they take part in sports, to whether they have watched a live sports event.
The survey also explored public opinion on the Olympic Games, analysing how interested Britons are in the Olympics, how important is it for them for Britain to do well at the event as well as which sports they think should or should not be at the Games.
The study also delves into the intersection of sport and politics. We asked Britons what types of politically-related behaviour are appropriate for athletes at sports events – from taking the knee and sitting out the national anthem, to wearing political insignia or chanting political slogans. In this section we also researched public opinion on the ban on Russian and Belarussian athletes and whether countries that do not support human rights should be allowed to participate in the Olympics.
The final part of the study looked at the issue of doping in sport – from how big of a problem is it, to what type of punishment is appropriate, to whether certain drugs should be allowed.
The study was conducted between 25-31 July 2024, with a sample of 2,049 adults aged 16 and above. It should be noted that this research took place during the first days of the Summer Olympic Games in Paris, and that several questions were re-asked in the wake of the Games to see where opinion had been affected.
The study is divided into the following parts:
Here are 10 top findings from the study:
- Interest in sports: Half of Britons report that they are very or somewhat interested in sports (53%). On the opposite end are a quarter (24%) who are not interested in all. A third (35%) watch sports at least once a week, twice as many who say they never watch sports (17%).
- Participation in sports: Nearly a quarter (23%) report taking part in sport at least once a month. A third (35%) used to play sport but no longer do, and three in ten (29%) say they have never played any sports (including 37% of women).
- Most played sports: Among those who do take part in sport, football is the most widely played sport (28%), followed by recreational swimming (20%) and cycling (14%), as well as tennis and badminton on 12% each.
- Interest in the Summer Olympics: When it comes to the Summer Olympics, one in five Britons (20%) report being "very interested". More people are interested in the Summer Olympic Games than in the Winter Olympics – 53% vs 40%.
- The importance of Olympic medals: About half of Britons (53%) say it is important for them that Britain performs well in the Olympics, including 16% who find it “very important.”
- Most popular sports featured in the Olympics: Athletics stands out among Britons as the Olympic sport Britons are most interested in (53%), followed by swimming (48%) and diving (45%).
- Which sports should be added to the Olympics and which should be excluded: Squash (60%) and mixed martial arts (56%) are the top two sports most Britons would like introduced at the Olympics. When it comes to those sports that are on the Olympic roster that Britons think shouldn’t be, golf (51%), football (42%) and breaking (37%) topped the list ahead of the 2024 Games. Following the Australian breaking competitor Raygun’s infamous routine in Paris, the number of people who said that breaking should not be an Olympic sport rose to 53% in our survey revisiting this question in September.
- Political expressions by athletes: When it comes to athletes voicing their political views, 74% of Britons don’t support chanting political slogans, 71% think wearing political messages on clothing should not be allowed, and 67% don’t approve of athletes refusing to shake hands with opponents because of politics.
- Doping is seen as a significant problem: Two-thirds of Britons (65%) see doping as a significant problem in sports. In contrast, 15% don’t consider it a major issue, including 2% who believe it is not a problem at all.
- Legalising performance enhancing drugs: One in ten Britons (10%) think that if certain performance-enhancing drugs were allowed they would lead to a level playing field.
See the full results here:
Which sports should/not be in the Olympics (during Paris 2024)
Which sports should/not be in the Olympics (post Paris 2024)
Photo: Getty
