Covid Over? Americans Planning to Watch Super Bowl with Others Up 84%  

44% Of General Public Look Most Forward to Half-Time and Commercials; With Legal Gambling on Upswing, Plans to Wager on Super Bowl Up 32%.

Has the Super Bowl party made a post-Covid comeback? The numbers seem to point in that direction, with data from the last three years supporting this conclusion.

In 2021, just 25 percent of the general population said they would be gathering with others who live outside their home to watch the Super Bowl. In 2023 that number rose to 46 percent, an increase of 84 percent over the last two years.

Likewise, among self-identified sports fans, in 2021 just 27 percent said they would be gathering with others from outside their home to watch the game. In 2023 that number rose to 52 percent, an increase of 93 percent.

These were among the findings of a Seton Hall Sports Poll conducted last week among 1,534 adults across the country. The poll featured a national representative sample from YouGov weighted on U.S. Census Bureau figures for gender, age, ethnicity, education, income and geography and has a margin of error of +/- 2.5 percent.

"The multi-billion dollar business of sports reaches far beyond the field of play," said Professor Charles Grantham, Director of the Center for Sport Management within Seton Hall's Stillman School of Business, which sponsors the Poll. "The Super Bowl is a major event and the impact of these gatherings reach across the economy. For the league, the network and the advertisers, this is the biggest sport marketing day of the year."

Will you be gathering with other people that live outside of your home (i.e., with people that are not roommates/cohabitants, etc.,) to watch the upcoming Super Bowl?

2023 N=1,011 - - - 2022 N=959 - - - 2021 N=885

Super Bowl Commercials and Halftime
The conversation around the business of the Super Bowl is often centered on the commercials and the Poll asked about the attention paid to them and their influence on buying. Among the general public (22%) and even self-described sports fans (20%), many Americans look forward to the Super Bowl mainly for the commercials. An equal number feel the same way about the halftime show. 

Regardless of which part of the broadcast has their primary focus, it is clear that advertisements garner additional attention during the Super Bowl, with 75 percent of the general population and 78 percent of sports fans saying they pay more attention to these ads – with only 10 percent (of both) saying they do not. 

"People invariably say advertising has no influence on them," said Seton Hall Marketing Professor Daniel Ladik, who is chief methodologist for the poll. "But the Super Bowl is an exception. It is TV's biggest night of the year and these commercials grab stronger mindshare than any other TV ads – and people seem willing in this context to admit to their influence."
 

Which part of the Super Bowl broadcast do you look forward to the most, the game, the halftime show, or the commercials?

I pay more attention to the commercials during the Super Bowl compared to commercials on other TV shows. 

Compared to non-Super Bowl commercials, I am more likely to buy a product advertised or watch a program promoted during the Super Bowl since I watched a more entertaining commercial. 

Social Media, Commercials, and Viewing Methods
The more avid the fan, the more likely he or she is to invest time on social media during the Super Bowl presumably comparing notes with others or checking out expert commentary as the game progresses. And that includes commenting on commercials too. Among the general population 43 percent say they'll engage with social media during the game; among sports fans that number rises to 47 percent and with self-described "avid fans," 60 percent. Notably, 50 percent of the general population say they will comment at some point on the commercials via social media while 12 percent of the general population say they will partake in second-screen engagement for the game. 

In addition to watching the Super Bowl, are you likely to follow and/or engage on social media during the event?

I am likely to discuss and/or comment on the best and worst Super Bowl commercials on social media.

On which devices, if at all, will you be watching the 2023 Super Bowl this year? Please select the option that best applies. 

Betting on the Game Up 32 Percent 
As the ability to place legal wagers on sporting events has grown, so has the number of persons admitting to doing so. For Super Bowl gambling, among the general population 29 percent say they will place a wager on the game. That's up from 22 percent last year, amounting to an increase of 32 percent. Among sports fans, this year 34 percent say they will bet on the game, compared to 28 percent last year – a rise of 19 percent.

Will you be placing a bet or wager on the Super Bowl (e.g., betting on the outcome of the game, on the winning team, etc.)?

2023 N=1,011 - - - 2022 N=959

Boxes/Squares Up
On a more informal level, this year 34 percent of the general population say they will participate in a Super Bowl pool while last year that number was 28 percent, a rise of 21 percent in 2023. Among sports fans, 38 percent said they would take part in a betting pool on the game, whereas last year 33 percent said they would, amounting to a rise of 15 percent.
 

Will you be participating in a friend/family member's informal Super Bowl betting pool (i.e., boxes or squares)

2023 N=1,011 - - - 2022 N=959

Questions, breakdowns and additional charts may be found below; an online version of this release may be found here.

ABOUT THE POLL
The Seton Hall Sports Poll, conducted regularly since 2006, is performed by the Sharkey Institute within the Stillman School of Business. This poll was conducted online by YouGov Plc. using a national representative sample weighted according to gender, age, ethnicity, education, income and geography, based on U.S. Census Bureau figures. Respondents were selected from YouGov’s opt-in panel to be representative of all U.S residents. This poll release conforms to the Standards of Disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls. The Seton Hall Sports Poll has been chosen for inclusion in iPoll by Cornell's Roper Center for Public Opinion Research and its findings have been published everywhere from USA Today, ESPN, The New York Times, Washington Post, AP, and Reuters to CNBC, NPR, Yahoo Finance, Fox News and many points in between.

Media: Michael Ricciardelli, Associate Director of Media Relations, Seton Hall University, [email protected], 908-447-3034; Marty Appel, [email protected]

2023 Jan/Feb Seton Hall Sports Poll Results

This SHSP was conducted January 30th through February 2nd and includes responses from 1,534 US adults with a margin of error of +/-2.5%. The sample mirrors the US Census percentages on age, gender, income, education, ethnicity, and region.

Q1. Which of the following statements best describes you?

• I am an avid sports fan  21%
• I am a sports fan 39%
• I am not a sports fan  40%

*Note (1): Presented in each table, Avid + Casual = total sports fandom in the data. Some tables break out the Avid and Casual segments. 

Note: Individuals who indicated they "will not be watching the Super Bowl" did not see questions related to the Super Bowl.

The 2023 National Football League (NFL) Super Bowl will be played on February 12th

Q11. On which devices, if at all, will you be watching the 2023 Super Bowl this year? Please select the option that best applies.

Q12a. In addition to watching the Super Bowl, are you likely to follow and/or engage on social media during the event?

Q13. Which part of the Super Bowl broadcast do you look forward to the most, the game, the halftime show, or the commercials?

Q14. Will you be gathering with other people that live outside of your home (i.e., with people that are not roommates/cohabitants, etc.,) to watch the upcoming Super Bowl?

Q8^X Will you be gathering with other people that live outside of your home (i.e., with people that are not roommates/cohabitants, etc.,) to watch the upcoming Super Bowl?

Data from the February 2022 Seton Hall Sports Poll

Q8^X Will you be gathering with other people that live outside of your home (i.e., with people that are not roommates/cohabitants, etc.,) to watch the upcoming Super Bowl?

Data from the January 2021 Seton Hall Sports Poll

Will you be gathering with other people that live outside of your home (i.e., with people that are not roommates/cohabitants, etc.,) to watch the upcoming Super Bowl?

2023 N=1,011 - - - 2022 N=959 - - - 2021 N=885

Thinking about the upcoming 2023 Super Bowl, to what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements?

Q15a. I pay more attention to the commercials during the Super Bowl compared to commercials on other TV shows.

Q15b. Compared to non-Super Bowl commercials, I am more likely to buy a product advertised or watch a program promoted during the Super Bowl since I watched a more entertaining commercial.

Q15c. I am likely to discuss and/or comment on the best and worst Super Bowl commercials on social media.

Thinking about other potential plans for the Super Bowl…

Q16a. Will you be participating in a friend/family member’s informal Super Bowl betting pool (i.e., boxes or squares)

Q15^X Will you be participating in a friend/family member’s informal Super Bowl betting pool (i.e., boxes or squares)

Data from the February 2022 Seton Hall Sports Poll

Will you be participating in a friend/family member’s informal Super Bowl betting pool (i.e., boxes or squares)

2023 N=1,011 - - - 2022 N=959

Q16b. Will you be placing a bet or wager on the Super Bowl (e.g., betting on the outcome of the game, on the winning team, etc.)?

Q16^X Thinking about your plans for the Super Bowl… Will you be placing a bet or wager (e.g., betting on the outcome of the game, on the winning team, etc.)

Data from the February 2022 Seton Hall Sports Poll

Will you be placing a bet or wager on the Super Bowl (e.g., betting on the outcome of the game, on the winning team, etc.)?

2023 N=1,011 - - - 2022 N=959

ABOUT SETON HALL UNIVERSITY
One of the country's leading Catholic universities, Seton Hall has been showing the world what great minds can do since 1856. Home to nearly 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students and offering more than 90 rigorous academic programs, Seton Hall's academic excellence has been singled out for distinction by The Princeton Review, U.S. News & World Report and Bloomberg Businessweek.

Seton Hall embraces students of all religions and prepares them to be exemplary servant leaders and global citizens. In recent years, the University has achieved extraordinary success. Since 2009, it has seen record-breaking undergraduate enrollment growth and an impressive 110-point increase in the average SAT scores of incoming freshmen. In the past decade, Seton Hall students and alumni have received more than 30 Fulbright Scholarships as well as other prestigious academic honors, including Boren Awards, Pickering Fellowships, Udall Scholarships and a Rhodes Scholarship. The University is also proud to be among the most diverse national Catholic universities in the country.

During the past five years, the University has invested more than $165 million in new campus buildings and renovations. And in 2015, Seton Hall launched a School of Medicine as well as a College of Communication and the Arts. The University’s beautiful main campus in suburban South Orange, N.J. is only 14 miles from New York City – offering students a wealth of employment, internship, cultural and entertainment opportunities. Seton Hall's nationally recognized School of Law is located prominently in downtown Newark. The University's Interprofessional Health Sciences (IHS) campus in Clifton and Nutley, N.J. opened in the summer of 2018. The IHS campus houses the University's College of Nursing, School of Health and Medical Sciences and the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine at Seton Hall University.

For more information, visit www.shu.edu.

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