- Four in ten Canadians do not follow sports;
- Confidence in professional Canadian sports teams varies, but people are more likely to have high hopes for teams based in their own province.
May 6, 2022
As sports fans well know, Canada is home to many professional teams, across sports. With the Stanley Cup (National Hockey League) Playoffs underway, and the Major League Baseball season just beginning, we asked Canadians to weigh in on which Canadian teams they thought would take home a league championship this year.
Two in ten Canadians have high hopes for the Toronto Blue Jays winning the League Championship Series in 2022, with Atlantic Canadians (26%) and Ontarians (23%) more likely to express their confidence in the team. One in ten residents (9%) expect the Toronto Maple Leafs to take home the Stanley Cup this year, and the same proportion had faith in the Toronto Raptors winning the NBA Finals (note this survey took place before they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs on April 28, 2022). Fewer than five percent of Canadians have confidence each of Calgary (4%), Vancouver (3%), Edmonton (2%), Ottawa (1%), or Winnipeg (1%) will win the Stanley Cup this year. Meanwhile, nearly three in ten (28%) Canadians do not expect any Canadian teams to be league champions this year, and four in ten (39%) indicated that do not follow sports.
Unsurprisingly, residents in any given team’s home province are more likely to believe they will become league champions this year, although in absence of a professional home-team, Atlantic Canadians have elevated confidence in the Toronto Blue Jays, and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Meanwhile, residents from British Columbia are most likely to say they do not follow sports (49%). Women are more likely than men to indicate that they do not follow sports, and men are more likely to expect the Toronto Blue Jays to become league champions. Prior to their elimination, Millennials (age 25-34) were more confident in the Toronto Raptors compared to those in older Canadians, while Baby Boomers (age 55+) remain more confident in the Toronto Blue Jays.
Results shown are from a survey conducted in partnership between Narrative Research and the Logit Group. The survey was conducted online between April 12 and 19, 2022 with 1,239 Canadians 18 years of age or older from the Logit Group’s Canadian Omnibus. Data was weighted based on the 2016 Census, by gender, age, and region to reflect these population characteristics in each province. As a non-probability sample (i.e., a panel sample where residents have joined a panel to share their opinions), and in accordance with CRIC Public Opinion Research Standards, a margin of error is not applied.
The question included in this press release included the following:
Which, if any, of the following Canadian teams will be league champions this year?
- Toronto Blue Jays
- Toronto Raptors
- Toronto Maple Leafs
- Calgary Flames
- Edmonton Oilers
- Ottawa Senators
- Vancouver Canucks
- Winnipeg Jets
- None of these teams will win a championship this year
- No idea/I don’t follow sports
For more information, contact:
Margaret Chapman, COO, Narrative Research – 902.222.4048, mchapman@narrativeresearch.ca
OR
Sam Pisani, Managing Partner, Logit Group – 416.629.4116, sam.pisani@logitgroup.com
Narrative Research (www.narrativeresearch.ca), is a leading public opinion and market research company headquartered in Canada. The company was recently certified as a WBE (Women Business Enterprise). As a non-partisan, 100% Canadian-owned research company, Narrative Research is dedicated to providing clients with state-of-the-art research and strategic consulting services.
The Logit Group (https://logitgroup.com/) is a leading North American data collection and market research execution company headquartered in Toronto, conducting large-scale projects for a variety of well-known research agencies and brands. Logit employs industry-best technologies across an array of methodologies, and is independent, experienced and quality-oriented.
Follow us on Twitter at @EveryNarrative and @LogitGroup
