Foreword

"With the Summer Olympic Games in Paris starting this month, we're excited to bring you our latest YouGov report.
We explore audience interest in the games across 11 key international markets, demographic engagement trends, viewing behaviors and motivations for watching – as well as revealing the most anticipated sports across the event, and the brand sponsors going for gold."
Nicole Pike
Global Head of YouGov Sport

Summer Olympics 2024: Report takeaways

1. Widespread appeal: The Olympics is a sporting event that appeals to all ages, with relatively consistent interest levels across age groups – particularly in the US.

2. Age behaviors: 18–24-year-olds are more influenced by their family/friends to watch the Summer Olympics, whereas older followers feel a stronger sense of national pride and desire to witness athletic feats.

3. Games engagement: Live TV viewing and shorter form recap content will be the most popular ways to engage with the Games.

4. Popular sports: Swimming and athletics (track & field) are the most anticipated Summer Olympics sports across all markets surveyed, while men have a greater preference for soccer and women rank gymnastics highly.

5. Brand impact: Coca-Cola is the most associated brand with the Summer Olympics, as the most recalled sponsor in 9 of the 10 markets studied.

6. Sponsor spotlight: Sponsoring the Olympics has a beneficial impact on impression of brands, with positive perception of sponsor Visa 14% higher on average among followers of the Games.