Do Brits care about the Super Bowl?
As the NFL Super Bowl approaches on 9th February 2025, millions of Americans are gearing up for one of the biggest sporting events of the year—complete with extravagant halftime shows, blockbuster commercials, and, of course, the game itself. But across the pond, do Brits really care? Censuswide polled 2,000 nationally representative UK respondents to find out. ?
To set some context, out of those Brits who watch American football, on average, they have been watching / following the game for 4 years. However, 1 in 6 (16%) Brits who watch American football surveyed have been watching / following only for the last 1-6 months, while 1 in 9 (11%) have only watched / followed for the last 1-3 weeks, showing it’s of recent interest to some.
Out of all Brits surveyed, almost 3 in 10 (27%) are planning to watch* the Super Bowl, with 1 in 11 (9%) who are definitely planning to watch, and almost a fifth (18%) who are probably planning to watch. Of those Brits who watch** American football, over 3 in 5 (61%) are planning to watch* the Super Bowl this year, with over 9 in 10 (92%) who always watch American football (they wouldn’t miss a game) planning to do so*. Generational differences are also apparent, as half (50%) of those aged 25-34 planning to watch this Sunday’s games*, compared to just 1 in 9 (11%) aged 55+ who said the same.
Looking at Brits who are planning to watch the Super Bowl, over half (51%) of them will stay up late to watch the games live, while almost half (46%) will watch on catch-up TV/streaming/online after***. In terms of who they will be supporting, it seems Brits are relatively indifferent, with 1 in 11 respondents saying they will support Kansas City Chiefs (9%) and Philadelphia Eagles (9%). A fifth (20%) of Brits will support neither team, they’re just watching for entertainment and don’t care who wins!
Despite this, with just over half (51%) of Brits surveyed who have only watched a Super Bowl once before—and 1 in 20 (5%) who have never watched a Super Bowl before—planning to watch* this year, what’s making them more likely to do so?
A fifth (20%) of Brits surveyed said they are more likely**** to watch the Super Bowl this year because the Kansas City Chiefs are playing, with 2 in 5 (40%) respondents aged 25-34 who said this will make them more likely**** to watch.
Moreover, over a fifth (21%) of Brits said they are more likely**** to watch this year because of the possibility of Taylor Swift attending games (to support Travis Kelce playing for the Chiefs), with 1 in 12 (8%) who are much more likely to watch. Interestingly, more male than female Brits said this will make them more likely**** to watch the Super Bowl this year (23% vs 19%). Breaking this down further, over 2 in 5 (43%) Brits who have only watched the Super Bowl once before are more likely**** to watch because of Taylor Swift’s potential attendance, and a further 1 in 12 (8%) who have never watched before said this is making them more likely**** to watch too. ?It seems, then, the ‘Swift Effect’ might be boosting Brits’ interest in NFL this season.
Finally, with Kendrick Lamar’s highly anticipated half-time performance headliner, Brits said the top 5 Super Bowl headliners since 2010 have been:
Will Kendrick top the list this year? We’ve not got to wait long to find out!
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While American football has been steadily gaining traction in the UK, the Super Bowl still occupies a curious space in British culture—some see it as an exciting late-night spectacle, while others shrug it off as just another American import.
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Notes:
*‘Yes, definitely’ and ‘Yes, probably’ answers combined.
**‘I watch this’ (NET) – ‘Always’, ‘Regularly’, and ‘Sometimes’ answers combined.
***‘On catch-up/TV/streaming/online after, in full’ and ‘On catch-up/TV/streaming/online after, just the highlights’ answers combined.
**** ‘Much more likely’ and ‘Somewhat more likely’ answers combined.
About the research:
The research was conducted by Censuswide, among a sample of 2,000 Nationally Representative UK respondents. The data was collected between 30.01.2025– 04.02.2025.
Censuswide abides by and employs members of the Market Research Society and follows the MRS code of conduct and ESOMAR principles. Censuswide is also a member of the British Polling Council.