Key findings
- The majority of adults in the US, UK, Australia, Canada, Germany, Spain, and France believe that it’s important for girls to play sports growing up, think that women athletes are valuable role models, agree that men have more opportunities than women in professional sports, and say that women’s professional sports are not given enough coverage in the media.
- Men’s sports have nearly twice the viewership of women’s sports in each country, but many are watching more women’s sports this year compared with last year; time is the main barrier that prevents fans from watching women’s sports.
- While most will watch this summer’s Olympic games, few are aware that Paris 2024 will be the first to feature an equal number of male and female athletes.
- Women athletes are trusted more as influencers than male athletes and other types of influencers; half of adults or more in each country believe that brands are not investing enough in women’s sports compared with men’s sports.
Most adults across countries find value in women’s sports
The vast majority of adults across seven countries believe in the importance of women’s sports, according to a new poll conducted by SurveyMonkey and Parity from March 28-April 10, 2024 in the US, UK, Australia, Canada, Germany, Spain, and France. More than nine in ten say it is important for girls to play sports growing up (US: 91%, UK: 93%, Australia: 94%, Canada: 95%, Germany: 90%, Spain: 96%, France: 94%), including more than half who think it’s ‘very important.’ Similarly, nearly the same percentage say women athletes are ‘highly’ or ‘somewhat’ impactful as role models for young women in the US (91%), UK (92%), Australia (92%), Canada (94%), though slightly fewer agree in Germany (81%), Spain (74%), and France (82%). In the US, UK, and Canada, women are more likely than men to say women athletes are “highly impactful” role models, while those numbers are roughly even in Australia, Germany, Spain, and France.
Despite the importance of women’s sports, women have fewer opportunities in professional sports than men, and media coverage of women’s sports is lacking. About two-thirds in each country say that men have more opportunities than women in professional sports (US: 65%, UK: 64%, Australia: 63%, Canada: 70%, Germany: 61%, Spain: 60%, France: 60%), while just 2-3% say women have more opportunities than men. And one-half to three-quarters in each country believe that women’s professional sports are not given enough coverage in the media (US: 62%, UK: 58%, Australia: 57%, Canada: 65%, Germany: 64%, Spain: 70%, France: 78%).
Women’s sports viewership is on the rise
In the UK (36%), Australia (34%), and Spain (32%), one in three women’s sports fans say they are watching more women’s sports this year, higher than in the US (27%), Canada (29%), Germany (23%), and France (24%).
In each of the seven countries surveyed, there are about twice as many adults who watch men’s sports daily or weekly than those who watch women’s sports (US: 38% vs. 19%, UK: 39% vs. 18%, Australia: 44% vs. 21%, Canada: 41% vs. 19%, Germany: 33% vs. 17%, Spain: 37% vs. 21%, France: 34% vs. 20%). Time is the main barrier that prevents fans from watching women’s sports (US: 40%, UK: 41%, Australia: 39%, Canada: 39%, Germany: 43%, Spain: 40%, France: 35%), followed by a general lack of interest, and not knowing where or how to watch. More than half of women’s sports fans would definitely or probably watch more women’s sports if they could watch with others (e.g., in-person, at a sports bar, or with friends) rather than by themselves (US: 59%, UK: 51%, Australia: 54%, Canada: 55%, Germany: 46%, Spain: 56%, France: 54%).
Soccer (football), tennis, and basketball are the most watched women’s sports among the seven countries surveyed. Soccer (football) is the most watched in the UK (61%), Australia (55%), Germany (65%), Spain (60%), and France (55%). Tennis is the most watched in Canada (45%), and second most popular in the UK (50%), Australia (51%), Germany (40%), Spain (45%), and France (52%). Basketball is by far the most watched women’s sport in the US (56%), but has much lower viewership (25% or less) in all other countries.
Most adults plan to watch the Olympics and/or Paralympics this summer, but few are aware of gender parity
In all of the surveyed countries except Germany, more than half plan to watch the 2024 Olympic Games (US: 60%, UK: 63%, Australia: 68%, Canada: 64%, Germany: 48%, Spain: 56%, France: 60%). Fewer plan to watch the Paralympics, lowest in the US (18%) compared with a quarter in Canada (26%), Germany (25%), and Spain (26%) and more than a third in the UK (36%), Australia (38%), and France (41%).
However, in most countries, fewer than a fifth are aware that this summer’s Olympics will be the first to feature the same number of male and female athletes (US: 15%, UK: 18%, Australia: 20%, Canada: 17%, Germany: 14%, Spain: 16%). The exception is France, where the games will be held; there, 25% are aware of the equal representation. Despite this lack of awareness, a majority think it is very or somewhat important that the games feature equal representation (US: 85%, UK: 87%, Australia: 84%, Canada: 85%, Germany: 74%, Spain: 83%, France: 81%).
Women athletes are trusted influencers, and most want brands to invest more in women’s sports
In most countries surveyed, about one-third follow women’s sports accounts on social media. Four in ten Australians (42%) follow some women’s sports accounts, higher than the US (38%), UK (36%), Canada (39%), Germany (30%), and Spain (34%), with far fewer following in France (26%). In the US, Canada, Germany, Spain, and France, individual women athletes are the most followed type of account, while women’s sports teams are slightly more popular in the UK and Australia.
Instagram is the top platform for following individual women athletes across all countries (US: 56%, UK: 57%, Australia: 67%, Canada: 60%, Germany: 67%, Spain: 80%, France: 72%), followed by Facebook and YouTube.
Women athletes are trusted influencers. In each country, people are more likely to purchase products from women athletes than from other types of influencers (US: 16% vs. 8%, UK: 14% vs. 6%, Australia: 16% vs. 6%, Canada: 16% vs. 7%, Germany: 16% vs. 5%, Spain: 13% vs. 7%, France: 14% vs. 5%). Women athletes are more trusted than male athletes when it comes to the products they promote: (64% trust women athletes and 58% trust male athletes in the US; UK: 55% vs. 48%, Australia: 57% vs. 50%, Canada: 62% vs. 55%, Germany: 36% vs. 29%, Spain: 46% vs. 41%, France: 53% vs. 45%).
It is important that brands show support for women’s sports, especially in the US. One in three US adults (32%) say that a brand’s support for women’s sports or its promotion by women athletes makes them more likely to purchase their products; higher than in the UK (26%), Australia (29%), Canada (31%), and Spain (27%), and far higher than in Germany (19%) and France (19%). In all countries but Germany, more than half say that they trust that brands sponsoring women athletes or sports care about gender equity (US: 59%, UK: 53%, Australia: 57%, Canada: 60%, Germany: 41%, Spain: 55%, France: 53%). And half or more in each country believe that brands are investing not enough in women’s sports compared with men’s sports (US: 50%, UK: 50%, Australia: 51%, Canada: 56%, Germany: 53%, Spain: 59%, France: 66%).
Read more about our polling methodology here.
Click through all the results in the interactive toplines below:
