On 05 February, SHAAP published the results of survey condicted with football fans to gather their views on alcohol sponsorship in sports.
The survey was conducted online and promoted through the Scottish Football Supporters Association and a variety of social media channels. Responses were received between November and December 2022, with all responses individually data checked and validated. The total response was 287 individuals.
Results
- Awareness of alcohol advertising within football and beyond is high
– 79% of individuals had been exposed to alcohol advertising or promotion through football within the last 3 months
– 54% had seen alcohol advertising in a stadium
– 52% had seen alcohol advertising on team strips
– 28% had seen social media posts associating a team/event with an alcohol brand
– 27% had seen alcohol advertising outside a stadium
90% of individuals had been exposed to alcohol advertising outside of football within the last 3 months
– 85% on television
– 55% on social media
– 50% in newspapers and magazines
- There is a belief amongst fans that reducing or removing alcohol sponsorship could be a positive step
– Two-thirds of supporters feel that Scottish football’s reliance on alcohol industry sponsorship is a ‘bad thing’ (64%).
– Two-thirds of supporters agree with the decision of Scottish Women’s Football not to accept sponsorship from alcohol companies (66%).
- There is a significant group of supporters who want change
– 46% of supporters believe that replacing alcohol sponsorship with non-alcoholic sponsorship would be a positive change. Only 13% believed this would be a negative change.
– A majority of those who don’t drink alcohol would like to see alcohol sports sponsorship prohibited in Scotland (54%).
- Children are in attendance of Scottish football matches
– Over a third of the sample had attended a match with children aged 18 and under in the last 12 months (36%).
