More Than Half of Americans Want Vaccine Proof, Social Distancing and Masks As Sports Venues Move to Full Capacity

Among Sports Fans 60 Percent Favor Vaccine Requirement for Event Attendance;
72 Percent Want Social Distancing Sections

South Orange, NJ, May 26, 2021 – As many states move to “reopen” and allow full capacity at sports venues, sports fans and the general public seemingly remain cautious about event attendance without proof of vaccination, the wearing of masks and/or social distancing.

These were the findings of a Seton Hall Sports Poll conducted May 21-24 geographically spread across the United States using a national representative sample weighted according to gender, age, ethnicity, education, income and geography based on U.S. Census Bureau figures. The Poll surveyed 1,554 adult respondents with a margin of error of +/- 3.2 percent.

Social Distance Seating
A rather large number – 68 percent of the general population, 72 percent of self-described sports fans and 77 percent of avid fans – favored designated areas within venues to separate those who wished to maintain social distance seating.

Proof of Vaccination
As to a requirement by sports teams that attendees of sporting events show proof of vaccination, 53 percent of the general population agreed. The number went up to 60 percent in favor of such a requirement among sports fans and to 71 percent for avid fans.

Masks
As for wearing masks while attending sporting events, it was 52 percent of the general population in favor of this requirement, while 56 percent of sports fans and 59 percent of avid fans agreed.

The respondents who disagreed with these precautionary requirements at sporting event venues were comparatively low. For special sections, it was 18-17-15 percent (general public, sports fans, avid fans); for vaccination proof, 32-29-20 percent disagreeing, and for mask wearing, 32-33-30 percent disagreeing.

Fans Who Would Attend Sporting Events with Vaccine, PPE and Social Distancing Up 7%

Among the general public this question received a modest uptick of just one percent (from 50 to 51 percent) since it was asked last month. However, among sports fans the positive response rose seven points to 69 percent who said they would be willing to attend an outdoor sporting event with vaccine, PPE and social distancing – the largest jump in positive responses since the vaccine rollout (as illustrated in table below).

November 2020 – May 2021: If you were to receive the Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine, would you attend…A live outdoor sporting event in-person, with personal protection equipment (PPE), socially distancing measures, and restricted attendance?

Gen

 

Pop   Sports

 

Fan   Non Fan
May

2021

Apr

2021

Mar

2021

Jan

2021

Nov

2020

May 2021 Apr 2021 Mar 2021 Jan 2021 Nov

2020

May

2021

Apr

2021

Mar

2021

Jan 2021 Nov 2020
Yes 51% 50% 43% 40% 28% 69% 62% 61% 57% 39% 27% 34% 20% 18% 8%
No 35% 32% 40% 41% 58% 22% 24% 27% 29% 50% 54% 41% 56% 57% 73%
No Opinion 14% 18% 17% 19% 14% 9% 14% 12% 14% 11% 19% 25% 24% 45% 19%

This is a significant indicator of the trend to return,” said Charles Grantham, director of the Center for Sport Management within Seton Hall’s Stillman School of Business. “Sports fans seem cautiously optimistic, but also seem to favor precautions regardless of the official relaxation of restrictions over the last month.”

For indoor attendance, what was 42 percent (general population), 56 percent (sports fans) and 26 percent (non fans), is now 43-59-21 percent respectively.

Full House?

Perhaps consistent with the overall call for caution, when asked if leagues and teams should allow full capacity fan attendance in their stadiums without any mention of precautionary measures in the question, 46 percent of the public said yes, with 36 percent opposed. Among sports fans the number in favor rose to 54 percent (33 percent opposed), but still lagged by 15 percent those who said they would attend with vaccination, PPE and social distancing.

“Fifteen percentage points is a margin worth noting, and the leagues would be wise to take heed of the concerns of their customers,” said Seton Hall Marketing Professor and Poll Methodologist Daniel Ladik. “The ‘new normal’ appears to be a cautious one.”

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Charted breakdowns of questions below; an online version of this release may be found at http://blogs.shu.edu/sportspoll/

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 The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, CNBC, NPR, Yahoo Finance, Fox News and many points in between.

Media:  Michael Ricciardelli, Associate Director of Media Relations, Seton Hall University
michael.ricciardelli@shu.edu, 908-447-3034; Marty Appel, AppelPR@gmail.com

 

 

May 2021 Seton Hall Sports Poll

 

This SHSP was conducted May 21st through May 24th and includes responses from 1,554 US adults with a margin of error of 3.2%. The sample mirrors the US Census percentages on age, gender, income, education, ethnicity, and region.

 

Q1. Which, if any, of the following statements best describes you?

 

  • I am an avid sports fan 18%
  • I am a sports fan             40%
  • I am nota sports fan               42%

 

Q2a – If you were to receive the Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine, would you attend…A live outdoor sporting event in-person, with personal protection equipment (PPE), socially distancing measures, and restricted attendance?

N=1,554

 

General

Population

Sports

Fan

Non Fan Avid

Fan

Casual

Fan

Yes, I would attend 51% 69% 27% 74% 66%
No, I would not attend 35% 22% 54% 19% 23%
Don’t know/No opinion 14% 9% 19% 7% 11%

 

Gen

 

Pop   Sports

 

Fan   Non Fan
May

2021

Apr

2021

Mar

2021

Jan

2021

Nov

2020

May 2021 Apr 2021 Mar 2021 Jan 2021 Nov

2020

May

2021

Apr

2021

Mar

2021

Jan 2021 Nov 2020
Yes 51% 50% 43% 40% 28% 69% 62% 61% 57% 39% 27% 34% 20% 18% 8%
No 35% 32% 40% 41% 58% 22% 24% 27% 29% 50% 54% 41% 56% 57% 73%
No Opinion 14% 18% 17% 19% 14% 9% 14% 12% 14% 11% 19% 25% 24% 45% 19%

 

Q2b – If you were to receive the Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine, would you attend…A live indoor sporting event in-person, with personal protection equipment (PPE), socially distancing measures, and restricted attendance?

 

N=1,554

 

General

Population

Sports

Fan

Non Fan Avid

Fan

Casual

Fan

Yes, I would attend 43% 59% 21% 63% 58%
No, I would not attend 43% 31% 61% 31% 30%
Don’t know/No opinion 14% 10% 18% 6% 12%

 

Gen

 

Pop   Sports

 

Fan   Non Fan
May

2021

Apr

2021

Mar

2021

Jan

2021

Nov

2020

May 2021 Apr 2021 Mar 2021 Jan 2021 Nov

2020

May

2021

Apr

2021

Mar

2021

Jan 2021 Nov 2020
Yes 43% 42% 35% 32% 21% 59% 56% 49% 46% 29% 21% 26% 16% 14% 8%
No 43% 38% 47% 44% 67% 31% 29% 37% 38% 60% 61% 49% 61% 63% 79%
No Opinion 14% 20% 18% 19% 12% 10% 15% 14% 16% 11% 18% 25% 23% 23% 13%

 

Multiple leagues and teams have publicly stated that by the end of June 2021, they will allow full capacity attendance in coordination with state guidelines.

 

Q3a Should leagues and teams allow full capacity fan attendance in their stadiums?

N=1,554

 

General

Population

Sports

Fan

Non Fan Avid

Fan

Casual

Fan

Yes 46% 54% 34% 61% 51%
No 36% 33% 40% 31% 34%
Don’t know/No opinion 18% 13% 26% 8% 15%

 

 

Q3b – Should sports teams require proof of vaccination (i.e., having an official CDC vaccination card) to attend sporting events?

 

N=1,554

 

General

Population

Sports

Fan

Non Fan Avid

Fan

Casual

Fan

Yes 53% 60% 42% 71% 55%
No 32% 29% 37% 20% 33%
Don’t know/No opinion 15% 11% 21% 9% 12%

 

Q4a – Should there be a requirement to wear a mask to attend sporting events?

 

N=1,554

 

General

Population

Sports

Fan

Non Fan Avid

Fan

Casual

Fan

Yes 52% 56% 47% 59% 55%
No 32% 33% 32% 30% 34%
Don’t know/No opinion 16% 11% 21% 11% 11%

Q4b– Even if not required by state guidelines, should teams set aside designated areas of the stadium for fans who wish to remain at a greater distance from other spectators (i.e., participate in social distancing)?

N=1,554

 

General

Population

Sports

Fan

Non Fan Avid

Fan

Casual

Fan

Yes 68% 72% 62% 77% 70%
No 18% 17% 18% 15% 18%
Don’t know/No opinion 14% 11% 20% 8% 12%

 

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.