The proportion of Canadians who consider themselves fans of the NBA rose by seven points since 2021.
Vancouver, BC [November 13, 2024] – A larger proportion of Canadians intend to watch the Canadian Football League (CFL) championship game this weekend than three years ago, a new Research Co. poll has found.
In the online survey of a representative national sample, 44% of Canadians say they will “definitely” or “probably” watch the Grey Cup on November 17, up four points since a similar Research Co. poll conducted in November 2021.
More than half of Canadians (53%, +3) plan to watch the Super Bowl of the National Football League (NFL) in February—a proportion that rises to 59% among Canadians aged 18-to-34.
“The Grey Cup is particularly appealing to Canadians of South Asian (56%), Indigenous (45%) and European (43%) ancestry,” says Mario Canseco, President of Research Co. “Only 31% of Canadians of East Asian descent plan to watch the game.”
The results are different for the Super Bowl. At least half of Canadians whose origins are European (50%), East Asian (51%), Indigenous (63%) and South Asian (64%) plan to watch the contest next year.
Three-in-five Canadians (60%, +5) consider themselves fans of the National Hockey League (NHL). Fandom is lower for all the other leagues tested, including the NFL (39%, +3), the National Basketball Association (NBA) (38%, +7), the CFL (33%, +1), Major League Baseball (MLB) (also 33%, +2) and Major League Soccer (MLS) (26%, +4).
Roughly the same proportions of Canadians aged 18-to-34 (33%), aged 35-to-54 (31%) and aged 55 and over (34%) are fans of the CFL. In contrast, NFL fans in Canada are primarily aged 18-to-34 (43%) and aged 35-to-54 (41%).
More than two-in-five Canadian men consider themselves fans of the NHL (66%), the NBA (47%), the NFL (46%) and MLB (41%). The proportions are lower for the CFL (38%) and MLS (33%).
Among female respondents, the most popular leagues are the NHL (55%) and the NFL (31%). Fewer than three-in-ten Canadian women are fans of the NBA (29%), the CFL (27%), MLB (25%) and MLS (19%).
Just under one-in-four Canadians (24%, +5) have become more interested in the NHL over the past two years. The results are lower for the NFL (16%, +6), the NBA (15%, +3), MLS (14%, +6), the CFL (12%, +4) and MLB (also 12%, +4).
In 2021, the Edmonton CFL franchise changed its name from Eskimos to Elks. More than two-in-five Canadians (44%, -2) think the team made the correct decision, while 31% (+2) disagree.
In Alberta, almost half of residents (48%, +1) think Edmonton’s CFL franchise should have kept its previous name, while 41% (+1) are in favour of the change to Elks.
Methodology: Results are based on an online survey conducted from November 1 to November 3, 2024, among 1,000 adults in Canada. The data has been statistically weighted according to Canadian census figures for age, gender and region in Canada. The margin of error—which measures sample variability—is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
Find our data tables here and download the press release here.
Photo Credit: TorontoGuy79
For more information on this poll, please contact:
Mario Canseco, President, Research Co.
778.929.0490
[e] mario.canseco@researchco.ca