With a month to go before the 2024 Summer Olympic Games kick off with an unprecedented 
Opening Ceremony on July 26 in Paris, Americans are already showing great interest – even before all the teams are officially chosen.
The Opening Ceremonies will feature the Eiffel Tower serving as a backdrop as teams are introduced aboard boats cruising down the Seine River.
Asked if they were “more excited to watch the opening ceremony than previous ones,” 56 percent of self-described Olympic fans, 51 percent of sports fans, 59 percent of avid fans and 48 percent of casual fans responded yes.
These were among the findings of a Seton Hall Sports Poll conducted June 19-21 among 1,611 adults across the country. The poll, which is sponsored by Seton Hall University’s Stillman School of Business and the Sharkey Institute featured a national representative sample from YouGov weighted on U.S. Census Bureau figures for age, gender, ethnicity, education, income and geography and has a margin of error of +/-2 percent.
Paris vs. Tokyo
For the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris, 59 percent of the general population and 75 percent of self-described sports fans said they planned to watch at least part of the Olympics. In comparison, for the Tokyo Summer Olympics held in 2021 just 49 percent of the general population and 65 percent of sports fans said they would watch – a difference of 10 points for each category.
“Clearly, interest in the Paris 2024 Olympic games is the strongest in recent years,” said Seton Hall Professor Charles Grantham, Director of the Center for Sport Management. “Beyond being in Paris, one of the most visited and famous cities in the world, these games feature a better time difference to see more competitions live, and less off the field distractions such as the pandemic (Tokyo 2021) or human rights concerns (Beijing 2022). This figures to be a sensational ratings success for NBC and its affiliates.”
Olympics vs. NFL?
Fan interest in the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic games is on par with the NFL, the most popular sports league in the U.S. In a March 2024 Seton Hall Sports Poll, 61 percent of the American public considered the NFL a “top interest” or were “somewhat interested.” A robust 63 percent considered the 2024 Summer Olympics a “top interest” or were “somewhat interested.” By comparison, Major League Baseball, the second most popular sport in the U.S. from the March 2024 poll scored a 51 on the combination of those same two categories.
Breaking News
Breaking, commonly called break dancing, is the newest competition to debut at the Summer Olympics. Forty percent of the general population, 56 percent of Olympics fans, 49 percent of sports fans and 57 percent of avid fans indicated they are interested in watching breaking.
The practice of adding new sport competitions to attract a younger audience is something the American public agrees upon with 57 percent of the general population, 72 percent of Olympics fans, 64 percent of sports fans and 69 percent of avid fans all in favor. Sport Climbing, Skateboarding, and Surfing, all thought to be exciting to a younger generation, are newer competitions that debuted at the Tokyo 2021 games. Notably, the American public recorded almost the exact same percentages of approval when asked then.
Most Popular Olympic Competitions
According to the American public, the four most popular competitions are Gymnastics (46% of the general population, 50% of sports fans, 44% of avid fans), swimming (46% of the general population, 56% of sports fans, 54% of avid fans), basketball (33% of the general population, 47% of sports fans, 59% of avid fans), and track & field (31% of the general population, 40% of sports fans, 40% of avid fans).
“The Olympics have learned to bridge the ancient and traditional with a finely tuned sense of the contemporary, effectively building brand viability,” said Daniel Ladik, marketing professor in the Stillman School and chief methodologist to the Poll. “There is obviously a core audience for the base competitions, but it is impressive the way the Olympic Committee continues to grow its audience among the younger demographic by expanding its events.”
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Questions and charted breakdowns below.
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, The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, AP, and Reuters to CNBC, NPR, Yahoo Finance, Fox News and many points in between.
Media: Laurie Pine, Director of Media Relations, Seton Hall University (973) 378-2638; (973) 902-8020
June 2024 Olympics Seton Hall Sports Poll RESULTS
Daniel Ladik, Ph.D., Chief Methodologist – daniel.ladik@shu.edu
This SHSP was conducted June 19th to June 21st and includes responses from 1,611 US adults with a margin of error of +/- 2.0%. The sample mirrors the US Census percentages on age, gender, income, education, ethnicity, and region.
Q1. Which of the following statements best describes you?
| N=1,611
|
General
Population |
Male | Female | 18 – 34 | 35 – 54 | 55+ |
| I am an avid sports fan | 18% | 25% | 12% | 23% | 23% | 12% |
| I am a sports fan | 43% | 47% | 40% | 45% | 44% | 41% |
| I am not a sports fan | 39% | 28% | 48% | 32% | 33% | 47% |
*Note: Avid + Casual = total sports fandom in the data. Some tables break out the Avid and Casual segments.
How interested, if at all, are you in the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics Games? Please select your level of interest.
| Level of Interest N=1,611 | General
Population |
Sports
Fan* |
Non Fan | Male | Female | 18 – 34 | 35 – 54 | 55+ |
| One of my TOP interests | 21% | 31% | 6% | 24% | 19% | 26% | 20% | 19% |
| Somewhat interested | 42% | 50% | 30% | 42% | 42% | 46% | 44% | 37% |
| Not very interested | 14% | 12% | 17% | 14% | 14% | 12% | 15% | 15% |
| Not at all interested | 23% | 7% | 47% | 20% | 25% | 16% | 21% | 29% |
June 2024 Poll
How interested, if at all, are you in the National Football League (NFL)? Please select your level of interest.
| Level of Interest N=1,502 | General
Population |
Sports
Fan* |
Non Fan | Male | Female | 18 – 34 | 35 – 54 | 55+ |
| One of my TOP interests | 32% | 46% | 4% | 38% | 27% | 27% | 33% | 36% |
| Somewhat interested | 29% | 33% | 19% | 28% | 29% | 37% | 28% | 22% |
| Not very interested | 15% | 12% | 20% | 15% | 14% | 18% | 15% | 12% |
| Not at all interested | 24% | 9% | 57% | 19% | 30% | 18% | 24% | 30% |
March 2024 Poll
How interested, if at all, are you in Major League Baseball (MLB) Please select your level of interest.
| Level of Interest N=1,502 | General
Population |
Sports
Fan* |
Non Fan | Male | Female | 18 – 34 | 35 – 54 | 55+ |
| One of my TOP interests | 22% | 31% | 3% | 27% | 17% | 22% | 24% | 20% |
| Somewhat interested | 29% | 35% | 17% | 29% | 29% | 32% | 31% | 25% |
| Not very interested | 19% | 19% | 18% | 20% | 18% | 24% | 17% | 16% |
| Not at all interested | 30% | 15% | 62% | 24% | 36% | 22% | 28% | 39% |
March 2024 Poll
I feel better that the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic games are being hosted in a country with a positive human rights record.
| N=1,611
|
General
Population |
Olympic Fan | Olympics Non-Fan | Sports
Fan* |
Non Fan | Avid
Fan |
Casual
Fan |
| Agree | 62% | 76% | 38% | 69% | 50% | 72% | 68% |
| Neither agree nor disagree | 34% | 22% | 54% | 28% | 44% | 23% | 30% |
| Disagree | 4% | 2% | 8% | 3% | 6% | 5% | 2% |
June 2024 Poll
Instead of athletes walking out into a stadium representing their country, the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games will introduce each nation cruising on a boat through the Center of Paris on the Seine River. Are you more excited to watch this opening ceremony than previous ones?
| N=1,611
|
General
Population |
Olympic Fan | Olympics Non-Fan | Sports
Fan* |
Non Fan | Avid
Fan |
Casual
Fan |
| Yes | 39% | 56% | 10% | 51% | 20% | 59% | 48% |
| No | 39% | 24% | 66% | 30% | 54% | 27% | 32% |
| Don’t know/No opinion | 22% | 20% | 24% | 19% | 26% | 14% | 20% |
June 2024 Poll
Do you plan on watching any part of the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics Games?
| N=1,611
|
General
Population |
OlympicFan | Olympics Non-Fan | Sports
Fan* |
Non Fan | Avid
Fan |
Casual
Fan |
| Yes | 59% | 87% | 10% | 75% | 33% | 84% | 71% |
| No | 25% | 2% | 63% | 11% | 46% | 10% | 12% |
| Don’t know/No opinion | 16% | 11% | 27% | 14% | 21% | 6% | 17% |
June 2024 Poll
Do you plan on watching any part of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics?
| N=1,554
|
General
Population |
Sports
Fan |
Non Fan | Avid
Fan |
Casual
Fan |
| Yes | 49% | 65% | 27% | 71% | 61% |
| No | 38% | 24% | 56% | 21% | 26% |
| Don’t know/No opinion | 13% | 11% | 17% | 8% | 13% |
May 2021 Poll
Do you plan on watching any part of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics?
| N=1,513
|
General
Population |
Sports
Fan |
Non Fan | Avid
Fan |
Casual
Fan |
| Yes | 37% | 48% | 21% | 58% | 44% |
| No | 46% | 36% | 59% | 30% | 39% |
| Don’t know/No opinion | 17% | 16% | 20% | 12% | 17% |
February 2022 Poll
Are you planning to check the internet/social media for any event results prior to their broadcast on TV?
| N=1,611
|
General
Population |
Olympic Fan | Olympics Non-Fan | Sports
Fan* |
Non Fan | Avid
Fan |
Casual
Fan |
| Yes | 37% | 51% | 11% | 49% | 17% | 62% | 44% |
| No | 47% | 32% | 72% | 35% | 66% | 27% | 38% |
| Don’t know/No opinion | 16% | 17% | 17% | 16% | 17% | 11% | 18% |
June 2024 Poll
Are you planning to check the internet/social media for any event results prior to watching any events on broadcast TV?
| N=1,554
|
General
Population |
Sports
Fan |
Non Fan | Avid
Fan |
Casual
Fan |
| Yes | 27% | 37% | 13% | 50% | 31% |
| No | 56% | 45% | 72% | 34% | 50% |
| Don’t know/No opinion | 17% | 18% | 15% | 16% | 19% |
May 2021 Poll
Are you planning to check the internet/social media for any event results prior to watching any events on broadcast TV?
| N=1,513
|
General
Population |
Sports
Fan |
Non Fan | Avid
Fan |
Casual
Fan |
| Yes | 20% | 29% | 9% | 38% | 25% |
| No | 61% | 53% | 70% | 46% | 57% |
| Don’t know/No opinion | 19% | 18% | 21% | 16% | 18% |
February 2022 Poll
I am interested in watching the sport Breaking at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic games
| N=1,611
|
General
Population |
Olympic Fan | Olympics Non-Fan | Sports
Fan* |
Non Fan | Avid
Fan |
Casual
Fan |
| Agree | 40% | 56% | 12% | 49% | 25% | 57% | 46% |
| Neither agree nor disagree | 28% | 25% | 35% | 26% | 33% | 20% | 28% |
| Disagree | 32% | 19% | 53% | 25% | 42% | 23% | 26% |
June 2024 Poll
While I enjoy my traditional Olympic events that have been in the games for decades, I agree with the Olympic committee in introducing new sports to attract a younger audience.
| N=1,611
|
General
Population |
Olympic Fan | Olympics Non-Fan | Sports
Fan* |
Non Fan | Avid
Fan |
Casual
Fan |
| Agree | 57% | 72% | 31% | 64% | 45% | 69% | 63% |
| Neither agree nor disagree | 31% | 21% | 47% | 26% | 38% | 17% | 29% |
| Disagree | 12% | 7% | 22% | 10% | 17% | 14% | 8% |
June 2024 Poll
Sport Climbing, Skateboarding, and Surfing debuted at the Tokyo 2021 Summer Olympics games. All three of these sports are exciting to a younger generation.
| N=1,611
|
General
Population |
Olympic Fan | Olympics Non-Fan | Sports
Fan* |
Non Fan | Avid
Fan |
Casual
Fan |
| Agree | 57% | 72% | 32% | 65% | 44% | 69% | 64% |
| Neither agree nor disagree | 34% | 24% | 51% | 28% | 44% | 23% | 30% |
| Disagree | 9% | 4% | 17% | 7% | 12% | 8% | 6% |
June 2024 Poll
Q9. The Paris 2024 Summer Olympic games are scheduled to include 329 events in 32 different sports. Which of the following are you the most interested in? Please check all that apply.
| N=1,611
|
General
Population |
Sports
Fan |
Non Fan | Avid
Fan |
Casual
Fan |
| Gymnastics | 46% | 50% | 40% | 44% | 52% |
| Swimming | 46% | 56% | 29% | 54% | 57% |
| Basketball | 33% | 47% | 9% | 59% | 42% |
| Track & Field | 31% | 40% | 17% | 40% | 39% |
| Volleyball | 29% | 36% | 17% | 35% | 36% |
| Diving | 29% | 33% | 22% | 27% | 36% |
| Soccer | 26% | 36% | 10% | 43% | 34% |
| Tennis | 20% | 28% | 9% | 34% | 25% |
| Skateboarding | 20% | 23% | 16% | 20% | 24% |
| Weightlifting | 16% | 20% | 10% | 23% | 19% |
| Surfing | 15% | 17% | 13% | 16% | 17% |
| Wrestling | 15% | 19% | 9% | 24% | 17% |
| Breaking | 15% | 16% | 14% | 15% | 16% |
| Marathon | 15% | 19% | 8% | 22% | 18% |
| Triathlon | 13% | 16% | 8% | 18% | 16% |
| Rowing | 12% | 15% | 7% | 14% | 15% |
| Decathlon | 11% | 15% | 6% | 18% | 13% |
| Golf | 11% | 16% | 4% | 27% | 12% |
| Sailing | 9% | 10% | 7% | 11% | 9% |
| Badminton | 8% | 10% | 5% | 13% | 8% |
| Other (write in) | 9% | 10% | 7% | 8% | 11% |
| Don’t know/No opinion | 20% | 7% | 41% | 6% | 7% |
June 2024 Poll
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 majors, Seton Hall’s academic excellence has been singled out for distinction by The Princeton Review, US News & World Report and Bloomberg Businessweek. Seton Hall, which embraces students of all religions, prepares its graduates to be exemplary servant leaders and caring global citizens. Its attractive main campus is located in suburban South Orange, New Jersey, and is only 14 miles by train, bus or car to New York City, offering a wealth of employment, internship, cultural and entertainment opportunities. A new independent economic analysis of the University found that Seton Hall provides a significant impact on New Jersey’s economy, totaling over $1.6 billion annually and creating and sustaining nearly 10,000 jobs. The university’s nationally recognized School of Law is prominently located in downtown Newark. The University’s Interprofessional Health Sciences (IHS) campus in Clifton and Nutley, New Jersey, houses Seton Hall’s College of Nursing, its School of Health and Medical Sciences as well as Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine.
For more information, visit www.shu.edu.