Few things stir the passions of the American public like football. … Curious about just how deep those emotions can run, we asked Americans over two Sunday evenings to give their opinions on topics ranging from the NFL to national politics and their personal financial situations. Afterward, we compared responses between Americans who knew their local team had won that day and those who knew their team had lost to isolate the effects of a team’s result on its local fans’ attitudes. …
Though key political metrics such as President Obama’s approval rating do not appear to be swayed by on-field results (allowing us to breathe a little easier as pollsters), these findings demonstrate how public opinion can be influenced by emotional events—and just how football-crazed of a nation we live in. [cont.]
David Gold, Global Strategy Group