More than half of Canadians (55%) say they are fans of the National Hockey League (NHL).
Vancouver, BC [December 7, 2021] – Canadians are more likely to say that they plan to watch the final game of the National Football League (NFL) season than its equivalent for the Canadian Football League (CFL), a new Research Co. poll has found.
In the online survey of a representative national sample, 40% of Canadians say they will “definitely” or “probably” watch the Grey Cup on December 12, while a slight majority (52%) will not.
When Canadians are asked about the Super Bowl—which will take place on February 13, 2022—half (50%) say they intend to tune in while 44% say they will not.
“Canadians aged 55 and over are more likely to say they will watch the Grey Cup (45%) than their counterparts aged 35-to-54 (36%) and aged 18-to-34 (39%),” says Mario Canseco, President of Research Co. “The country’s youngest adults are more likely to say they will tune in to the Super Bowl (53%) than those who are middle aged (47%) or older (49%).”
In Saskatchewan and Manitoba, a majority of residents (55%) intend to watch the Grey Cup this Sunday. The proportion is lower in Alberta (43%), Quebec (41%), British Columbia (40%), Ontario (39%) and Atlantic Canada (26%).
A majority of Canadians (55%) say they consider themselves fans of the National Hockey League (NHL), up one point since a similar Research Co. poll conducted in September 2020.
More than a third of Canadians (36%, +5) are fans of the NFL. The numbers are lower for the CFL (32%, -1), the National Basketball Association (NBA) (31%, -6), Major League Baseball (MLB) (31%, -2) and Major League Soccer (22%, +1).
Over the past two years, about one-in-five Canadians (19%) say their interest in the NHL has increased. Fewer of the country’s residents report paying more attention to the NBA (12%), the NFL (10%), MLB (8%), the CFL (also 8%) and MLS (also 8%).
The Edmonton CFL franchise changed its name this year from Eskimos to Elks. Just under half of Canadians (46%) agree with this decision, while 28% disagree.
In Alberta, almost half of residents (47%) disagree with changing the name of Edmonton’s CFL franchise, while 40% agree with this modification.
In a survey conducted by Research Co. in September 2019, 60% of Canadians and 71% of Albertans thought the Edmonton Eskimos name was “acceptable” for the CFL franchise.
Methodology:
Results are based on an online study conducted from November 20 to November 22, 2021, among a representative sample of 1,000 adults in Canada. The data has been statistically weighted according to Canadian census figures for age, gender and region. The margin of error—which measures sample variability—is +/- 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20..
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