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Attitudes towards the 2022 World Cup

2,000 UK adults aged 18+ were surveyed by Opinium and between 4-9 November 2022

An IPA Insight Pulse poll exploring consumer attitudes towards the upcoming FIFA 2022 World Cup, and the FIFA Women’s World Cup in summer 2023. We also examine attitudes towards in-store events during Black Friday and shopper intentions.

Key findings:

  • 49% of all adults stated that they would respect brands more for speaking out around the Qatar World Cup, rising to 63% of 18-34s. This figure is slightly higher among men (52%) than women (47%) of all ages.
  • A third of Brits (34%) believe that the World Cup will provide a much-needed distraction from the challenges we’ve faced this year. This is significantly higher among men (40%) than women (29%). However, 34% of adults do not believe the World Cup will provide a welcome distraction.
  • Thirty-eight percent of 18-34s believe that having the World Cup during the Christmas build-up makes it all the more exciting – compared with 20% of all adults and just 8% of over 55s.
  • Nearly half of young adults (47%) will prioritise Qatar World Cup viewing this year over major seasonal TV shows such as Strictly Come Dancing and I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here.
  • Thirty-nine percent of 18-34s are more excited than ever for the World Cup as a result of the success of England Women’s football team this summer. This is significantly higher among men (42%) than women (18%) of all ages.

Commenting on the findings Head of Insight at the IPA, Damian Lord said:

"How to manage activity during the Qatar World Cup is a significant problem and potential opportunity for brands to solve, both in terms of whether to comment on human rights issues and how to manage the disruption to the festive period. These findings will provide significant insight into how to best engage with football fans and people going about their Christmas shopping over the coming weeks and what issues matter most to their audience."