More than half of Metro Vancouverites say they would attend at least one home game a year if a franchise is established.
Vancouver, BC [June 22, 2021] – The prospect of Vancouver hosting a franchise in the oldest professional sports league in North America is welcomed by a majority of British Columbians, a new Research Co. poll has found.
Major League Baseball (MLB) is contemplating an expansion and there have been discussions about relocating the existing Oakland Athletics franchise to a different city in North America.
In the online survey of a representative provincial sample, 61% of British Columbians think it is a “very good” or “good” idea to have an MLB team in Vancouver.
Almost two thirds of Fraser Valley residents (64%) think MLB expanding into Vancouver is a “very good” or “good” idea, along with majorities of those in Vancouver Island (63%), Northern BC (also 63%), Metro Vancouver (60%) and Southern BC (58%).
Just under two-in-five British Columbians (38%) say they currently have a favourite MLB team. The Toronto Blue Jays are the most popular franchise in the province (28%), followed by the Seattle Mariners (7%) and various other MLB clubs (2%).
“The relationship between British Columbians and MLB would be dramatically altered if a franchise ultimately calls Vancouver home,” says Mario Canseco, President of Research Co. “Practically seven-in-ten British Columbians who currently support an MLB club (69%) suggest they would stop rooting for it to back the team from Vancouver.”
In the event an MLB club is established in Vancouver, 46% of British Columbians—and 52% of those who reside in Metro Vancouver—say they are “very likely” or “moderately likely” to attend at least one home game a year.
More than one-in-five British Columbians (22%) would consider purchasing season tickets for the Vancouver MLB franchise, including 28% of Metro Vancouverites.
Just over half of British Columbians (51%) say they are likely to watch the Vancouver MLB team’s games at home, while more than a third (37%) are willing to watch the games at a bar or pub.
Two-in-five British Columbians (40%) say they are likely to buy merchandise or apparel with the Vancouver MLB team’s logo, a proportion that rises to 48% among those aged 18-to-34 and to 47% among those who reside in the Fraser Valley.
Methodology: Results are based on an online study conducted from June 6 to June 8, 2021, among 800 adults in British Columbia. The data has been statistically weighted according to Canadian census figures for age, gender and region in British Columbia. The margin of error—which measures sample variability—is +/- 3.5 percentage points, nineteen times out of twenty.
Find our data tables here and download the press release here.
For more information on this poll, please contact:
Mario Canseco, President, Research Co.
778.929.0490 [e] mario.canseco@researchco.ca