- 82 percent of Americans indicate they “will watch” the 2025 Super Bowl
- Fans feel good about New Orleans security
- Kansas City Chiefs fatigue is real
- Kendrick Lamar at halftime and the Taylor Swift effect is driving youthful watchers
- Super Bowl Sports Betting shows no growth over the past two years
Is the three-peat possible? Will Mahomes outshine Saquon? Is the recent Grammy winner Kendrick Lamar going to drive the ratings at halftime? Results from the latest Seton Hall Sports Poll point towards a record Super Bowl audience, independent of the quality of the game.
When asked, 82 percent of Americans indicate they “will watch” the big game which is a 10-point jump from 2024 Super Bowl Poll. This is also the highest “will watch” percentage in the five years since the Poll has been tracking viewership numbers, up from 58 percent recorded with the pandemic-impacted 2021 Super Bowl Poll.
“There is no bigger event than the NFL Super Bowl in America,” said Charles Grantham, Director of the Center for Sports Management in the Stillman School of Business at Seton Hall University. “The Super Bowl is the great connector of American culture and attracts the widest audience across all age groups and demographics. It is no surprise that our Poll reflects the potential for a record audience.”
These are the findings of the Seton Hall Sports Poll conducted January 29-31, 2025, among 1,528 adults across the country. The poll, which is sponsored by The Sharkey Institute within Seton Hall University’s Stillman School of Business featured a national representative sample from YouGov Plc. weighted on U.S. Census Bureau figures for age, gender, ethnicity, education, income and geography and has a margin of error of +/-3.0 percent.
On which device will you be watching the 2025 Super Bowl this year?
Further insights from this question include:
- 94% of Sports Fans say they will watch
- 93% of Casual Fans say they will watch
- 88% of younger viewers 18-34 say they will watch
Americans are all right with New Orleans hosting the Super Bowl
Americans endorse the Super Bowl continuing in New Orleans. When asked, 56 percent of Americans feel playing the Super Bowl in New Orleans is safe, 59 percent believe the Superdome venue should not be changed, and 54 percent said they would attend the 2025 Super Bowl at no cost. This is the first major event in New Orleans since the violent New Years Day attack on Bourbon Street, causing the Notre Dame-Georgia College Football Championship quarterfinal to be delayed until January 2.
Because of the January 1st deadly violent attack, do you think playing the Super Bowl in New Orleans is unsafe?
Do you think the NFL should change venues due to the deadly violent attack?
If you are able to attend the 2025 Super Bowl in New Orleans at no cost, will you attend?
Further insights from these questions include:
- 59% of males and 52% of females feel New Orleans is safe
- 59% of the general population and 61% of sports fans do not want to switch venues
- 77% of avid fans and 61% of males would attend the 2025 Super Bowl at no cost
Kansas City Chiefs Fatigue?
Despite being the most watched NFL team this season, more Americans are rooting for the Philadelphia Eagles (29%) than the Kansas City Chiefs (26%). Notably, this is the third straight Super Bowl appearance as well as the fifth in the last six years for the Chiefs. Last year, the Chiefs were a clear fan favorite with 29 percent of Americans rooting for the Chiefs vs. 23 percent for the San Francisco 49ers.
At the 2025 Super Bowl, who are you rooting for?
Further insights from this question include:
- Younger age groups (18-34) favor the Chiefs (30%) vs. the Eagles (23%)
- Sports fans favor the Eagles 34% to 30%
- Avid fans favor the Eagles 36% to 35%
- Many Super Bowl watchers are just looking for a good game. In 2025, a larger percentage of watchers (24%) are not rooting for either team, a two percent increase from the previous year (22%)
Kendrick Lamar and Taylor Swift drive younger viewership
In addition to the game (54%), 20 percent of Super Bowl watchers are interested in the Halftime show and 44 percent are looking forward to Kendrick Lamar’s performance. The charts below show his performance appeals more to younger, casual sports fans, particularly women, while older demographics are less engaged.
Which part of the Super Bowl broadcast do you look forward to the most, the game, the halftime show, or the commercials?
Are you looking forward to the Kendrick Lamar Halftime show at the Super Bowl?
Are you aware of the past controversy between Kendrick Lamar and Drake?
Further insights from these questions include:
- Note: The Poll data was collected before Kendrick Lamar collected five Grammy awards including Best Record and Best Song on Sunday February 2
- NFL fans (48%) and casual fans (63%) show higher interest in the halftime show
- Younger audiences (18-34) were most enthusiastic (74%) about the performance
- The Kendrick Lamar and Drake controversy also shows high awareness (70%) among subgroups
A Taylor Swift effect – Again?
Seton Hall’s 2024 Super Bowl Poll found 21 percent of American households indicated that the presence of Tayor Swift at the big game influenced their decision to watch the Super Bowl. The 2025 Poll found that 18 percent of the American households retain this same Taylor Swift effect. Moreover, 15 percent of American households noted that Taylor Swift rooting interest for the Kansas Chiefs also sways their interest in rooting for the Chiefs.
Will you or anyone else in your household’s decision to watch the game be influenced by Taylor Swift’s attendance at the game?
For you or anyone else in your household, is the presence of Taylor Swift going to make anyone root for the Kansas City Chiefs?
Further insights from these questions include:
- 35% of the 18-34 subgroup thinks she is influential on whether they will watch the 2025 Super Bowl
- 30% of the 18-34 subgroup thinks she is influential to make someone root for the Chiefs
- 70% of sports fans and non-fans agree that Taylor Swift will not increase Chiefs support
“Even the NFL, the largest sports league in the U.S., needs growth,” says Daniel Ladik, Marketing professor in the Stillman School and Methodologist of the Seton Hall Sports Poll. “A direct path to growth is via younger demographics. Attracting young fans is challenging, but the NFL is sharp by building excitement with dynamic artists like Kendrick Lamar. The Taylor Swift effect is real and well documented, and the NFL does an excellent job of bringing celebrities to big games to broaden audience beyond the core die-hard fans.”
Is the Sports Betting Marketplace Saturated?
Even with the legal betting market expanding to more states, the Seton Hall Sports Poll shows minimal growth in the Super Bowl sports betting marketplace. In the 2025 poll, 18 percent of Americans said they would be placing a bet on the Super Bowl. This percentage is down from the 2024 Poll (20%). This trend suggests that the novelty of Super Bowl sports betting is plateauing with little growth from new bettors and most of the action coming from existing customers.
Among Americans who said they will watch the Super Bowl, the betting trend also shows minimal growth. Specifically, 25 percent of 2025 Super Bowl watchers say they will place a bet. This is in comparison to 27 percent in 2024, 29 percent in 2023, and 22 percent in 2022.
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.)
Will you place a bet?
2025 Seton Hall Super Bowl Poll
Daniel Ladik, Ph.D., Chief Methodologist – Daniel.ladik@shu.edu
This SHSP was conducted January 29th through 31st and includes responses from 1,528 U.S. adults with a margin of error of 3.0%. The sample mirrors the U.S. Census percentages on age, gender, income, education, ethnicity, and region.
Q1. Which of the following statements best describes you?
*Note: Presented in each table, Avid + Casual = total sports fandom in the data. Some tables break out the Avid and Casual segments.
Q2. What is your level of interest in the National Football League (NFL)?
Q4. At the 2025 Super Bowl, which team are you rooting for to win?
Q5a. Will you or anyone else in your household’s decision to watch the game be influenced by Taylor Swift’s attendance at the game?
Q5b. For you or anyone else in your household, is the presence of Taylor Swift going to make anyone root for the Kansas City Chiefs?
Q6. On which device will you be watching the 2025 Super Bowl this year? Please select the option that best applies.
Q8. Which part of the Super Bowl broadcast do you look forward to the most, the game, the halftime show, or the commercials?
Q11a. Are you looking forward to the Kendrick Lamar Halftime show at the Super Bowl?
Q11b. Are you aware of the past controversy between Kendrick Lamar and Drake?
Q14a. Because of the January 1st deadly violent attack, do you think playing the Super Bowl in New Orleans is unsafe?
Q14b. Do you think the NFL should change venues due to the deadly violent attack?
Q14c. If you are able to attend the 2025 Super Bowl in New Orleans at no cost, will you attend?
