Teens Just "Sorta" Interested in OlympicsThere may still be time for marketers to adjust in reaching teens and tweens tuning into the 2008 Summer Olympics.
A recent study conducted by the Harris Interactive Youth Center of Excellence shows that just 46% of 13 -18 year olds in the U.S. express an interest in the upcoming Olympics, including only
27% who say they are extremely or very interested. Teen boys ages 16-18 show the greatest interest and represent the only age group where over half of youth are interested in the sporting event. Teens
overall are a larger audience for the Olympics than tweens (ages 8-12) who report only a 28% interest.
Interest in 2008 Summer Olympics(% of category respondents) |
| Tweens
(8-12) | Teens (13-18) | Male Teens (16-18) | Female Teens (16-18) |
At
least interested | 28% | 46% | 57% | 40% |
Extremely/Very interested | 13 | 27 | 34 | 23 |
Extremely interested | 6 | 14 | 19 | 10 |
Very interested | 7 | 13 | 15 | 13 |
Somewhat interested | 35 | 26 | 24 | 31 |
Not at all interested | 37 | 28 | 19 | 30 |
Source: Harris Interactive, August 2008 |
Dana Markow, Ph.D, VP senior consultant, Harris Interactive, said
"... teens have not yet caught Olympics-fever... (though) many of the Olympic competitors are the same age... "
Overall, teens say they are most interested in following swimming
(40%), gymnastics (38%) and track and field (33%). However, the top three Olympic sports that teen boys are interested in watching or reading about are:
- Track and field (35%)
- Swimming (34%)
- Basketball (34%)
While girls are most interested in:
- Gymnastics (56%)
- Swimming (46%)
- Diving
(35%)
Events Most Interested in Watching or Reading About(% of
category respondents) |
| Teens (13-18) | Male Teens (13-18) | Female Teens (13-18) |
Swimming | 40% | 34% | 46% |
Gymnastics | 38 | 21 | 56 |
Track & Field | 33 | 35 | 30 |
Diving | 28 | 21 | 35 |
Basketball | 26 | 34 | 17 |
Source: Harris Interactive, August 2008 |
59% say that they plan to watch Olympics sporting events on TV. A far smaller number of teens are interested in reading about (22%) or watching (14%) Olympic sporting
events online. Similar to an overall interest in the Olympics, plans to follow the Games online increases significantly with age.
Plans About Olympic "Attachment"(% of category respondents) |
| Teens (13-18) | Teens (13-15) | Teens
(16-18) |
Watch on TV | 59% | 57% | 61% |
Read about online | 22 | 14 | 30 |
Read about in newspaper | 18 | 17 | 19 |
Watch online | 14 | 9 | 18 |
Buy
logo products | 5 | 5 | 5 |
Source: Harris Interactive, August 2008 |
Most teens understand that the Olympics are more than simply a sport
competition:
- 62% agree that the Olympics helps to build a better and more peaceful world, four times the amount who disagree (16%) with this statement
- 71% of teens
who say they are interested in the Olympics agree that the Games are about more than merely medals and marketing
For more
information from Harris Interactive, please visit here