GALLUP NEWS SERVICE
PRINCETON, NJ -- Major League Baseball's All-Star Game will take
place Tuesday night at Seattle's Safeco field. Gallup polls from
spring and summer 2001 find that baseball claims a solid fan base
-- but dwindling national interest.
The latest Gallup poll reading of June 2001 shows that 49% of
Americans say they are fans of professional baseball. This number
is slightly lower than most recent readings, which show that, since
1993, more than 50% of Americans identify themselves as baseball
fans.
When Americans are asked to choose their favorite sport to
watch, baseball finishes third on the list with 12%, slightly lower
than professional basketball (16%) and far outpaced by professional
football (28%). This wasn't always the case. When Gallup first
began asking the question in the 1930s, baseball was America's most
watched sport. A 1972 poll showed that professional football had
become the sport Americans said they most like to watch, and it has
been ever since. In 1997, professional basketball passed
professional baseball for second place on the list of favorite
sports, and has maintained a narrow edge since then.
Fans doubt Bonds' ability to hit more than 70 home
runs
San Francisco outfielder Barry Bonds' pursuit of Mark McGwire's
record of 70 home runs in a season has been one of the most
intriguing stories of this year's Major League Baseball regular
season. At the all-star break, Bonds remains on pace to get the
record, but fans are skeptical that he will be able to top
McGwire's mark. In a June 8-10 poll, 51% of baseball fans said they
didn't think Bonds would reach 70 home runs, while 38% said they
thought he would. Another 11% of fans did not have an opinion.
Survey Methods
These results are based on telephone interviews with a randomly
selected national sample of 1,024 and 1,011 adults, 18 years and
older, conducted March 26-28 and June 8-10, 2001 respectively. For
results based on these samples, one can say with 95 percent
confidence that the maximum error attributable to sampling and
other random effects is plus or minus 3 percentage points. In
addition to sampling error, question wording and practical
difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into
the findings of public opinion polls.
Are you a fan of professional baseball, or not?
|
|
Yes, a fan
|
SOMEWHAT
OF A FAN (vol.)
|
No, not a fan
|
No opinion
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
%
|
%
|
%
|
%
|
|
2001 Jun 8-10
|
35
|
14
|
51
|
0
|
|
2001 Mar 26-28
|
46
|
10
|
44
|
*
|
|
2000 May 5-7
|
35
|
11
|
54
|
--
|
|
2000 Apr 28-30
|
40
|
12
|
48
|
--
|
|
2000 Mar 30-Apr 2
|
45
|
10
|
45
|
--
|
|
1999 Nov 18-21
|
45
|
16
|
39
|
--
|
|
1999 Oct 21-24
|
37
|
10
|
53
|
--
|
|
1999 Jul 13-14
|
40
|
19
|
41
|
--
|
|
1999 Mar 19-21
|
34
|
15
|
51
|
--
|
|
1998 Oct 9-12
|
47
|
14
|
39
|
--
|
|
1998 Sep 14-15
|
45
|
18
|
37
|
--
|
|
1998 Jun 22-23
|
34
|
10
|
56
|
--
|
|
1996 Mar 15-17
|
38
|
10
|
52
|
--
|
|
1995 Oct 5-7
|
34
|
8
|
58
|
--
|
|
1995 Jul 7-9
|
35
|
13
|
52
|
--
|
|
1995 May 11-14
|
35
|
10
|
55
|
--
|
|
1995 Apr 17-19
|
32
|
9
|
59
|
--
|
|
1995 Feb 24-26
|
37
|
12
|
51
|
--
|
|
1995 Jan 16-18
|
37
|
8
|
55
|
--
|
|
1994 Oct 17-19
|
39
|
9
|
52
|
--
|
|
1994 Sep 6-7
|
35
|
11
|
54
|
--
|
|
1994 Aug 15-16
|
39
|
10
|
51
|
--
|
|
1994 Aug 8-9
|
35
|
20
|
45
|
--
|
|
1993 May 21-23
|
39
|
10
|
51
|
--
|
|
1993 Feb 12-14
|
44
|
7
|
49
|
--
|
What is your favorite sport to watch?
|
|
2001 Mar
|
2000 Mar
|
1998 Nov
|
1997 Apr^
|
1995 Apr
|
1994 Sep
|
1994 Aug
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
%
|
%
|
%
|
%
|
%
|
%
|
%
|
|
Football
|
28
|
33
|
36
|
30
|
32
|
37
|
35
|
|
Basketball
|
16
|
16
|
12
|
17
|
15
|
13
|
11
|
|
Baseball
|
12
|
13
|
16
|
14
|
16
|
16
|
21
|
|
Auto Racing
|
6
|
5
|
3
|
7
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
|
Golf
|
4
|
5
|
3
|
5
|
4
|
3
|
3
|
|
Ice/Figure Skating
|
4
|
4
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
3
|
3
|
|
Ice Hockey
|
3
|
5
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
1
|
3
|
|
Soccer
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
1
|
2
|
2
|
|
Tennis
|
2
|
1
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
3
|
2
|
|
Boxing
|
2
|
2
|
1
|
2
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
|
Gymnastics
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
*
|
|
Motocross
|
1
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
|
Wrestling
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
*
|
1
|
|
Volleyball
|
1
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
|
Bowling
|
*
|
*
|
1
|
*
|
1
|
*
|
*
|
|
Fishing
|
*
|
*
|
1
|
*
|
1
|
*
|
*
|
|
Swimming
|
*
|
*
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
|
Horse Racing
|
--
|
--
|
*
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
*
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
OTHER
|
4
|
3
|
6
|
6
|
7
|
5
|
5
|
|
NONE
|
12
|
8
|
9
|
6
|
10
|
12
|
10
|
|
No Opinion
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
2
|
2
|
1
|
|
|
100
|
100
|
100
|
100
|
100
|
100
|
100
|
|
|
|
^
|
WORDING: What is your favorite sport to follow?
|
LONG TERM TREND
|
|
Football
|
Baseball
|
Basketball
|
Auto racing
|
Golf
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
%
|
%
|
%
|
%
|
%
|
|
2001 Mar 26-28
|
28
|
12
|
16
|
6
|
4
|
|
2000 Mar 30-Apr 2
|
33
|
13
|
15
|
5
|
5
|
|
1998 Nov 20-22
|
36
|
16
|
12
|
3
|
3
|
|
1997 Apr 18-20 ^
|
30
|
14
|
17
|
7
|
5
|
|
1995 Apr 17-19
|
32
|
16
|
15
|
2
|
4
|
|
1994 Sep 16-20
|
37
|
16
|
13
|
2
|
3
|
|
1994 Aug 8-9
|
35
|
21
|
11
|
2
|
3
|
|
1992 Sept
|
38
|
16
|
12
|
2
|
3
|
|
1990 Feb
|
35
|
16
|
15
|
1
|
2
|
|
1981
|
38
|
16
|
9
|
1
|
2
|
|
1972
|
36
|
21
|
8
|
2
|
2
|
|
1960
|
21
|
34
|
9
|
--
|
1
|
|
1948
|
17
|
39
|
10
|
--
|
--
|
|
1937 Mar
|
23
|
34
|
8
|
1
|
1
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
^
|
WORDING: What is your favorite sport to follow?
|
Do you think San Francisco Giants outfielder Barry Bonds will
or will not hit more than 70 home runs this year, which would break
the record for most home runs in one season?
[BASED ON -- 503 -- BASEBALL FANS; ±5 PCT.
PTS.]
|
|
Yes, will
|
No, will not
|
No opinion
|
|
2001 Jun 8-10
|
38%
|
51
|
11
|
