 Pro Football Still #1
Professional football continues to be the most popular sport among U.S. adults who follow more than one sport, although its popularity has dropped slightly from 2005's high.
In 2006, twenty-nine percent of adults who follow more than one sport say pro football is their favorite, down four percentage points from 2005's thirty-three percent. Baseball remains unchanged at 14 percent, with college football coming neck-in-neck again (13%, unchanged from 2005) and auto racing, which is down two points at nine percent.
Professional basketball has increased by three percentage points, with seven percent of adults who follow more than one sport saying it is their favorite.
These are the results of a nationwide Harris Interactive(R) survey conducted online between December 12 and 18, 2006 among 2,309 U.S. adults, of whom 1,219 follow more than one sport.
Since Harris Interactive began asking this question in 1985, professional football has always been on top and its popularity is now five points higher (from 24% to 29%). Compared to 1985's results, baseball has dropped nine percentage points (from 23% to 14%), horse racing and men's tennis have both dropped three percentage points and college football and auto racing have each increased by three percentage points.
-- Pro football is most popular among those who live in the East (39%),
those with household incomes of $35,000 to under $45,000 (39%), among
Generation X (those ages 30 to 41) (36%) and African Americans (35%).
Those who earn less than $15,000 (20%) are least likely to call
football their favorite sport.
-- Baseball is most popular among Liberals (20%) and those who live in the
East (19%). African Americans are least likely to say baseball is their
favorite sport (7%).
-- College football is particularly popular among those with post graduate
degrees (23%). Just six percent of those who live in the East cite
college football as their favorite sport.
-- Auto racing (which includes NASCAR) is most popular among those with
household incomes of $25,000 to just under $35,000 (19%) and those with
a high school education or less (15%), while it fares worst among those
with a post graduate degree (1%) and Liberals (4%).
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