How will you watch Bucs-Chiefs Super Bowl? COVID changes viewer habits, polls show
If there’s one constant in the Super Bowl, it’s Tom Brady and his 10 appearances in the big game.
But aside from seeing that familiar face, the Super Bowl will be different for many Americans this year.
Polls by Morning Consult, Seton Hall University and Frito Lay show how COVID-19 will affect viewership for the Super Bowl. All three polls found the majority of Americans are likely to stay home and won’t watch the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers at gatherings or bars.
Of the 1,522 adults polled Jan. 22-25 by Seton Hall, 64% said they will be only watch the Super Bowl this year with people in their household. The poll has a margin of error of plus-or-minus 3.2 percentage points.
About 42% of the people polled said they will not watch the game at all, which compares similarly to a 2018 poll when 43% said they would not watch the Super Bowl. That year, the Super Bowl had at the time its weakest viewership since 2009 with 103.39 million viewers, Seton Hall said.
Last year’s Super Bowl was viewed by 100.45 million people, and 98.19 million watched in 2019, SportsMediaWatch.com reported.
“Viewership may be down because social gatherings bring out even the least casual fans,” said Charles Grantham, who oversees the Seton Hall Sports Poll. “But of course, the Super Bowl has occupied 19 spots on the 20 most viewed programs in history, so it remains a vital part of the American experience.”
The Morning Consult poll shows Americans are even less likely to attend gatherings to watch the game. Seventy-four percent of the 2,200 adults polled said they are unlikely to host or attend a get-together on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 7.
“The share of likely viewers who plan to get together for this year’s Super Bowl is down more than 20 percent from a survey conducted at roughly the same time in 2019 for Super Bowl LIV,” Morning Consult said.
Gen Zers, at 35%, are most likely to watch the game with people not in their household, according to Morning Consult. Only 11% of people in the baby boomer generation will attend Super Bowl gatherings, the poll found.
Frito Lay also found gatherings will look different for this year’s game. Forty-five percent of the 2,201 adults it polled said they will make changes for how they watch the game.
Viewing parties will be smaller this year, Frito Lay said, with 65% of respondents saying their gathering will include four people or less. Frito Lay and Morning Consult’s polls each have margin of errors of plus-or-minus 2 percentage points.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has not urged Americans to stay home to watch the game, like it asked people to not travel for the holidays. It has listed tips for hosting and attending gatherings, which include social distancing, wearing masks, cleaning hands often, and limiting the number of people handling or serving food.
This story was originally published January 27, 2021 at 11:33 AM with the headline "How will you watch Bucs-Chiefs Super Bowl? COVID changes viewer habits, polls show."