Over 1M Puerto Ricans watched the FIFA World Cup 2010.

A significant number of islanders watched the FIFA World Cup this year, according to this week’s CARIBBEAN BUSINESS/WOSO Radio/Gaither International poll. The survey, which consisted of 1,527 face-to-face interviews with a margin of error of +/-2.51, asked respondents to what extent, if at all, they had followed this year’s FIFA World Cup. 

Results were impressive, with 40% of respondents saying they watched a significant number of the World Cup’s games—translating into more than 1.15 million adults on the island who watched a significant portion of the series. 

“In fact, poll findings point out that 5% of islanders ages 18 or older watched all the games, representing about 144,000 Puerto Ricans that followed the month-long series. 

Another 12% watched most games while 23% watched some,” explained Beatriz Castro, director of Syndicated Research for Gaither International. 

Survey results also show that one in 10 Puerto Ricans only watched the finals or semifinals, 3% only watched the semifinals, 4% only the final and 4% watched both the semifinals and the finals. Forty-five percent (45%) did not watch any of the games. 

Who watched the World Cup series?

Those in the Arecibo region were the most likely to have watched at least one game with three fourths of the residents in that region stating so. San Juan metro area residents and Ponce residents, on the other hand, were also likelier than residents in other regions to have watched at least one game with 57% and 56%, respectively. 

Men were significantly more likely than women to have watched at least one game. In fact, over two-thirds of men on the island (67%) watched at least one game, as did almost half of women (49%). Note that although men were more likely than women to have watched a game, a significant number of women did tune in. 

“Also, men were more likely than women to have significantly followed the entire soccer series; 51% of men watched a significant part of the FIFA World Cup, as did 35% of women,” added Gaither’s Castro.

Those under the age of 55 were more likely to have watched at least one game. Sixty-two percent (62%) of those between the ages of 18 and 34 watched at least one soccer game, as did 57% of those between the ages of 35 and 54, compared to 49% of those aged 55 or older who did.
“Still, that’s about half of those aged 55 or more who watched the Cup. And the younger the islander, also the likelier to have followed the whole series; 47% of those between the ages of 18 to 34 watched a significant amount of games as, did 43% of those between the ages of 35 and 54, and 37% of those aged 55 or more,” the Gaither analyst noted.

Also, the higher the socio-economic level of the respondent the likelier to have watched the games. While 64% of respondents with high reported incomes watched at least one game, 56% of those with middle reported incomes and 50% of those with low reported incomes did. 
“What’s more, the higher the socio-economic level, the likelier they were to have followed the series; over half (51%) of those with high reported incomes followed a significant percentage of games compared with 42% of those with middle reported incomes and only 35% of those with low reported incomes that did,” said Castro. 

But the biggest gap was by education level. While 67% of college-educated respondents watched at least one game, 53% of high school graduates and only 41% of those without a high school diploma did, showing a 26% gap between the college-educated and those who did not complete high school. 

More educated islanders were also more likely to have followed the series; 51% of those with college educations did, compared to 39% of high school graduates and 29% of those with no high school diplomas that did.

Courtesy of Caribbean Business.