These poll numbers were released earlier today by Rasmussen Reports -- "an electronic publishing firm specializing in the collection, publication, and distribution of public opinion polling information."
Game Day: 62% Plan To Watch Super Bowl XLIV
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Sixty-two percent (62%) of Americans plan to watch the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints slug it out today in Super Bowl XLIV.
Thirty percent (30%) say they won't be watching the game in Miami, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Another nine percent (9%) aren't sure if they'll watch or not.
Men will be watching more than women. Adults ages 18 to 39 will be watching the big game more than their elders.
Colts fans are much more optimistic than those who are pulling for the Saints. Among all Super Bowl watchers, 49% predict the Colts will win while 38% expect the Saints to take the Lombardi Trophy home to the Crescent City.
Among those who watch football on a regular basis, expectations are even higher for the Colts to win.
Interestingly, though, most watchers (54%) would rather see the Saints win. That's true of both football fans and those who are just watching the Super Bowl.
Seventy-four percent (74%) of Super Bowl watchers will be tuning in from home. Eighteen percent (18%) plan to watch at the home of a friend or relative. Three percent (3%) will catch the game at a sports bar or restaurant, and five percent (5%) plan to be at some other location.
No matter where they see the game, though, just 13% plan to wear their favorite team's colors.
Forty-three percent (43%) figure they'll drink a beer or some other alcoholic beverage while watching, but 50% say they won't.
Only 17% plan to bet on the game, but over half of those folks plan to put some serious money down as a wager.
It's pretty to safe to assume that that group will be among the 49% who say they'll be watching the game "intensely." But for nearly as many (44%), the Super Bowl is mostly a social occasion. Fifty-nine percent (59%) of men will be glued to what's going on on the field, but most women (54%) will be socializing instead.
Thirty-five percent (35%) of all viewers, in fact, find the commercials during the game more interesting than the Super Bowl itself, although 57% say the game's more interesting. Again, there's a notable gender gap: For 73% of men, the game's the thing, but a plurality (49%) of women viewers find the commercials of more interest.
The commercial that's generating the most controversy so far this year is one featuring Tim Tebow, the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback from the University of Florida. Forty-five percent (45%) of Super Bowl watchers agree with CBS' decision to run a pro-life advertisement featuring Tebow during the game, but 30% oppose that decision.
Sixty-one percent (61%) plan to watch the halftime show featuring British rock superstars The Who, but game watchers have mixed feelings about whether the band was a good choice for the halftime slot. Those who watch football on a regular basis are less excited about the choice. The generation gap of the 60s lives on--baby boomers tend to like the selection of The Who much more than their elders.
Most (54%) of those who plan to check out the game predict that it will be decided by less than 10 points. Seventy-four percent (74%) are hoping for a close game.
And when it's all over, only 16% think they will be at least somewhat depressed if their team doesn't win. Forty-seven percent (47%) say they won't be depressed at all, regardless of the outcome.