{"id":747,"date":"2021-04-28T09:49:56","date_gmt":"2021-04-28T13:49:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/sportspoll\/?p=747"},"modified":"2021-04-29T12:26:05","modified_gmt":"2021-04-29T16:26:05","slug":"americans-not-yet-ready-for-full-capacity-events","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/sportspoll\/2021\/04\/28\/americans-not-yet-ready-for-full-capacity-events\/","title":{"rendered":"Americans Not Yet Ready for Full Capacity Events"},"content":{"rendered":"

But \u2018Comfort\u2019 Attending Events with Social Distancing, PPE and Vaccines Continues Trend Upward<\/em><\/p>\n

Only 35% of Public Supports Texas Rangers Decision to Open at Full Capacity<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/strong>South Orange, NJ, April 28, 2021 \u2013 The Seton Hall Sports Poll asked Americans if they would be comfortable attending a full-capacity outdoor stadium event of any type, only 37 percent said yes, a number which rose to 46 percent among sports fans and 58 percent among avid fans. The same question about attending indoor events found just 33 percent of the general public saying they would be comfortable, which increased to 43 percent among sports fans and 57 percent among avid fans.<\/p>\n

By contrast, when asked if they would attend a sporting event with personal protection equipment, social distancing measures and restricted attendance, 50 percent of the general population said \u201cyes\u201d to outdoor events and 42 percent said \u201cyes\u201d to indoor events.<\/p>\n

These were the findings of a Seton Hall Sports Poll conducted April 23-26 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 had 1,563 adult respondents with a margin of error of +\/- 3.2 percent.<\/p>\n

Since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, the Seton Hall Sports Poll has regularly asked the public whether they would be comfortable attending sporting events if they had access to a vaccine, personal protection equipment and social distancing measures were observed at the venue.<\/p>\n

When the question was first asked in April 2020, (combining indoor and outdoor events), only 13 percent said they would feel safe, with 12 percent saying \u201csafe with social distancing.\u201d\u00a0 Seventy-two percent said they would not feel safe \u201cat all,\u201d a number which today is only 32 percent for outdoors and 38 percent for indoor events with precautions.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the course of one year, we\u2019ve gone from 72 percent saying they would not feel safe or comfortable at a sporting event under pretty much any circumstances, down to 32 percent saying they would not feel safe attending an outdoor event and 38 percent feeling the same about indoor events,\u201d said Seton Hall Marketing Professor and Poll Methodologist Daniel Ladik. \u201cThe public may not be ready yet for full capacity, but the reluctance to attend events with precautions in place has dropped considerably over the course of the last year \u2013 a 40 point drop is substantial by anyone\u2019s measure.\u201d
\n<\/p>\n

Question response charted over time:<\/strong> If you were to receive the Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine, would you attend\u2026A live\u00a0outdoor<\/u>\u00a0sporting event\u00a0in-person<\/u>, with personal protection equipment (PPE), social distancing measures, and restricted attendance?<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n <\/p>\n

General<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\n

Population<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n <\/p>\n

Sports<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\n

Fan<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\nNon<\/td>\nFan<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nApril<\/p>\n

2021<\/td>\n

Mar<\/p>\n

2021<\/td>\n

Jan<\/p>\n

2021<\/td>\n

Nov<\/p>\n

2020<\/td>\n

April 2021<\/td>\nMar 2021<\/td>\nJan 2021<\/td>\nNov<\/p>\n

2020<\/td>\n

April 2021<\/td>\nMar<\/p>\n

2021<\/td>\n

Jan 2021<\/td>\nNov 2020<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Yes<\/strong><\/td>\n50%<\/td>\n43%<\/td>\n40%<\/td>\n28%<\/td>\n62%<\/td>\n61%<\/td>\n57%<\/td>\n39%<\/td>\n34%<\/td>\n20%<\/td>\n18%<\/td>\n8%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
No<\/strong><\/td>\n32%<\/td>\n40%<\/td>\n41%<\/td>\n58%<\/td>\n24%<\/td>\n27%<\/td>\n29%<\/td>\n50%<\/td>\n41%<\/td>\n56%<\/td>\n57%<\/td>\n73%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
No opinion<\/strong><\/td>\n18%<\/td>\n17%<\/td>\n19%<\/td>\n14%<\/td>\n14%<\/td>\n12%<\/td>\n14%<\/td>\n11%<\/td>\n25%<\/td>\n24%<\/td>\n45%<\/td>\n19%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Texas Rangers Baseball Team Allows Full Capacity, American Public Disagrees<\/strong><\/p>\n

Only a little more than a third of the American general public \u2013 35 percent \u2013 agrees with the Texas Rangers\u2019 decision to open their ballpark to full capacity, with 46 percent in disagreement (19 percent did not know or had no opinion).<\/p>\n

The number of those who agree with the Rangers\u2019 decision rises among those who consider themselves sports fans to 44 percent while 42 percent oppose it. Among those who describe themselves as \u201cavid fans,\u201d 57 percent support the decision, and 34 percent oppose it.<\/p>\n

Besides Opening Day, the Rangers have played to one other near sell-out crowd this month.\u00a0 This is the first year in which their new ballpark (Globe Life Field) is open to fans.<\/p>\n

Perhaps unsurprisingly, theses numbers essentially reverse when we look at citizens within the state of Texas itself.\u00a0 While the sample size is quite small (110 respondents, seven percent of total polled), Texans supported the full capacity decision by a 48-36 percent margin.<\/p>\n

Full Capacity Elsewhere?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Participants in the poll were also asked if other Major League Baseball teams should allow full capacity attendance, and by a similar margin (49-34 percent opposed, 17 percent undecided), the findings mirrored the Rangers result.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnrealized capacity in stadiums equals unrealized revenue for teams \u2013 but the data clearly shows that the public remains cautious,\u201d said\u00a0Professor Charles Grantham, Director of the Center for Sport Management within the Stillman School of Business, which oversees the Seton Hall Sports Poll.\u00a0\u201cWe all want to return to full capacity events, but precautions are still warranted.\u201d<\/p>\n

#\u00a0\u00a0 #\u00a0\u00a0 #<\/p>\n

Questions and charted breakdowns may be found below; an online version of this release may be found at <\/strong>https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/sportspoll\/<\/a><\/p>\n

ABOUT THE POLL<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u2019s opt-in panel to be representative of all U.S residents.\u00a0This 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Media:<\/em>\u00a0 Michael Ricciardelli, Associate Director of Media Relations, Seton Hall University
\nmichael.ricciardelli@shu.edu<\/a>,\u00a0908-447-3034; Marty Appel,\u00a0AppelPR@gmail.com<\/a><\/p>\n

This SHSP was conducted April 23rd<\/sup> through April 26th<\/sup> and includes responses from 1,563 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. <\/em><\/p>\n

Q1.<\/strong> Which, if any, of the following statements best describes you?<\/p>\n