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.

Demographic variations

The survey also finds some sizable differences between different segments of the population:

  -- 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%).

	

	

	  TABLE 1

	  FAVORITE SPORTS

	

"If you had to choose, which ONE of these sports would you say is your favorite?"

  Base: All adults who follow more than one sport

	

	                                                                      CHANGE

	           1985 1989 1992 1993 1994 1997 1998 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 1985-

	                                                                       2006

	              %   %    %    %    %    %    %    %    %    %    %    %    %

	  Pro

	   football  24  26   28   24   24   28   26   27   29   30   33   29    +5

	  Baseball   23  19   21   18   17   17   18   14   13   15   14   14    -9

	  College

	   football  10   6    7    8    7   10    9    9    9   11   13   13    +3

	  Auto racing 5   4    5    6    5    5    7   10    9    7   11    9    +3

	  Men's pro

	   basketball 6   7    8   12   11   13   13   11   10    7    4    7    +1

	  Men's

	   college

	   basketball 6  10    8    8    8    6    4    4    6    6    5    5    -1

	  Men's golf  3   4    4    6    5    6    4    4    5    4    4    4    +1

	  Hockey      2   3    3    3    5    4    3    3    3    4    5    4    +2

	  Men's

	   soccer     3   2    2    1    3    3    4    3    3    3    2    2    -1

	  Men's

	   tennis     5   4    4    4    3    3    4    1    2    1    1    2    -3

	  Track &

	   field      2   2    1    1    2    2    3    1    3    1    *    2    -

	  Horse

	   racing     4   3    3    2    2    2    2    1    2    1    2    1    -3

	  Boxing      NA  NA   NA   NA  NA   NA   NA   NA   NA    2    2    1    NA

	  Women's

	   tennis     NA  NA   NA   NA  NA   NA   NA    3    2    2    1    1    NA

	  Bowling     3   5    2    2    1    1    2    2    1    1    1    1    -2

	  Women's

	   golf       NA  NA   NA   NA  NA   NA   NA   NA    1    *    *    1    NA

	  Women's

	   college

	   basketball NA  NA   NA   NA  NA   NA    1    1    *    1    *    1    NA

	  Women's pro

	   basketball NA  NA   NA   NA  NA   NA    *    1    1    *    *    *    NA

	  Women's

	   soccer     NA  NA   NA   NA  NA   NA   NA   NA   NA    1    *    *    NA

	  Not sure    *   1    4    1    2    2    1    3    1    2    2    3     -

	  Pro

	   football's

	   lead over

	   baseball   1   7    7    6    7   11    8   13   16   15   19   15    +14

	

	  Note 1: NA = Not asked in that year. Previously did not distinguish

	          between men and women's sports when asking these questions.

	  Note 2: Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding.

	  Note 3: "*" indicates less than 0.5%. "-" indicates no response.

	

	

	

	  TABLE 2

	  DEMOGRAPHIC VARIATIONS IN FAVORITE SPORTS

	

"If you had to choose, which ONE of these sports would you say is your favorite?"

  Base: All adults who follow more than one sport

	

	  Sport          All Adults    Highest                Lowest

	                      %                          %                       %

	  Pro football        29    East                39   Less than $15,000  20

	                            $35,000-$49,999     39   West               21

	                            Gen Xers (30-41)    36   $25,000-$34,999    21

	                            African Americans   35   Matures            22

	  Baseball            14    Liberals            20   African American    7

	                            East                19   Conservatives      10

	  College Football    13    Post-graduate       23   East                6

	                            $25,000-$34,999     19   $35,000-$44,999     8

	                            South               19   African Americans   9

	                            $75,000+            18   Less than $15,000   9

	  Auto Racing          9    $25,000-$34,999     19   Post graduate       1

	                            High School or less 15   Liberals            4

	                            Gen Xers  (30-41)   13   College Graduates   5

	

	  Methodology

	

This Harris Poll(R) was conducted online within the United States between December 12 and 18, 2006, among 2,309 adults (aged 18 and over) of whom 1,219 follow more than one sport. Figures for age, sex, race, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online.

All surveys are subject to several sources of error. These include: sampling error (because only a sample of a population is interviewed); measurement error due to question wording and/or question order, deliberately or unintentionally inaccurate responses, nonresponse (including refusals), interviewer effects (when live interviewers are used) and weighting.

With one exception (sampling error) the magnitude of the errors that result cannot be estimated. There is, therefore, no way to calculate a finite "margin of error" for any survey and the use of these words should be avoided.

With pure probability samples, with 100 percent response rates, it is possible to calculate the probability that the sampling error (but not other sources of error) is not greater than some number. With a pure probability sample of 1,219 adults one could say with a ninety-five percent probability that the overall results have a sampling error of +/- three percentage points. However that does not take other sources of error into account. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

  J28941

	  Q900, Q905

	

	  Harris Interactive Inc. 1/07

	  The Harris Poll(R) #3, January 9, 2007

	  By Regina Corso, Director, The Harris Poll

	

	  About Harris Interactive