Half of consumers and two-thirds of young adults have more respect for brands who address issues around the FIFA World Cup being hosted in Qatar than those who stay silent. This is just one of the findings from a new survey of 2000 people, commissioned by the IPA and carried out by Opinium, regarding consumers’ views towards the Qatar World Cup.
According to the survey, 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.
Other key findings include:
- 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.
The survey also revealed attitudes to Black Friday 2022, which falls on an England and Wales match day, showing that women (56%) are more likely than men (45%) to restrict spending to brands they trust and that younger generations (42% of 18-34s) are more interested in shopping in-store than over 55s (8%) on Black Friday.
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."
Download the full survey results
Last updated 01 May 2024