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FIFA World Cup 2022: YouGov consumer intelligence

An overview of how YouGov’s tools will help explore consumer attitudes towards the World Cup and consumption patterns around it.

YouGov Global Fan Profiles reveals that the FIFA World Cup generates almost as much global interest as the Summer Olympics, surpassing the multi-disciplinary sports event in some markets. In this piece we explore the popularity stakes of the World Cup vs the Olympics in greater detail.

One of the topics we will explore in greater detail over the coming weeks will be a deep dive into the profiles of World Cup fans. This can help marketers leveraging the event to develop a better sense of how to target their campaigns and reach their desired audience more efficiently.

We will also use our syndicated data tools to peek into the types of sponsorships that World Cup fans are likeliest to notice.

Another piece will look at the types of media through which they prefer following sports events. For example, how much likelier are younger fans of the FIFA World Cup to prefer watching online streams compared to traditional media? By how much, and what is the share of fans that will likely engage in social media chat about the event?

Using YouGov BrandIndex, we will look into existing attitudes of consumers in the UK and the US towards brands affiliated with the World Cup and continue to track metrics along the course of the event.

While the World Cup is a sporting phenomenon, it has implications across a whole scope of industries. To keep in step, YouGov’s coverage around the event will focus on audience intelligence from a variety of sectors, ranging from consumer intelligence on gambling, through snacking habits, to audience interest in the FIFA 23 video game and how it ties into growing Buzz around the event.

We will also produce consumer insights on slightly more polarising topics, not least the attitudes around Qatar hosting the event. Even before the start of the tournament, there have been controversies over the human rights record of Qatar, which plays host to the event. England captain Harry Kane and a few others will be sporting rainbow armbands during their World Cup matches, to make a statement in support of diversity and inclusion. Recently, Denmark kit sponsor Hummel unveiled their outfit for the tournament with faded logos as “a protest against Qatar and its human rights record”.

What are fans thoughts about Qatar staging the event, and how does it influence their perception of the event? More importantly, do fans expect brands to express their views on the matter? Through a global study run across a range of 18 diverse markets spanning five continents, YouGov will answer these questions that will be critical to informing brands on how they can navigate this sticky situation.

The World Cup is a terrific opportunity to showcase brands to vast audiences. YouGov will deliver the consumer intelligence to help brands target, plan and track their campaigns and activations around the event.

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