Majority of Americans feel that U.S. performance in the Olympics makes them proud to be an American

Washington, DC, July 21, 2021 - A recent Ipsos poll finds that two in five Americans do not plan to  watch the Opening Ceremony for the Summer 2021 Olympics. However, the majority of Americans feel that the U.S. performance and participation in the Olympics makes them proud to be an American. Additionally, this poll found that one third of Americans have more than one pet, and among pet owners, the majority acquired their pet(s) before the pandemic.

Detailed Findings

1. Two in five Americans do not plan on watching the Opening Ceremony for the 2021 Olympics

• Those who plan to watch are interested in watching both the Opening Ceremony and the athletic events (29%).
• Planned viewership is highest among Democrats (39%), compared to only 1 in 3 Republicans (29%).
• Baby Boomers show the most interest in tuning in (37%), while Gen Z and Millennials are the least likely to watch (23% and 29%).

2. A majority of Americans feel that the American team's performance and participation makes them proud to be an American

• 56% of Americans say that the U.S. performance in the Olympic games makes them proud to be an American. This sentiment is shared by both Republicans (63%) and Democrats (60%). However, Gen Z and Millennials are less likely to agree (47% and 45%) compared to Baby Boomers (70%).
• Just under half of Americans (47%) agree that Japan should bar spectators from the Olympic games to reduce the risk of Covid-19. Yet, 1 in 4 people (28%) report that not having spectators will make the games less enjoyable to watch.
• 1 in 3 Americans (32%) believe that Olympic athletes should be allowed to engage in protests, such as kneeling during the national anthem or wearing clothing with political messages. Agreement is strongly polarized, with less than 1 in 10 (7%) Republicans agreeing compared to a majority of Democrats (55%).

3. One in three Americans have more than one pet, and most pet owners got their pets before the pandemic

• Three in five Americans (58%) own at least one pet, with a plurality owning more than one (34%). 4 of 5 pet owners (80%) got their pets prior to the start of the pandemic in March 2020. Gen Z is the most likely to have more than one pet (43%), while Baby Boomers are the most likely to not have any pets at all (49%).
• Among pet owners, dogs are by far the most popular pet (70%), followed by cats (46%). Cats are most favored among White (53%) and Gen X (53%) pet owners.
• Despite the long lengths of time spent at home with pets during quarantine, most pet owners are not anxious leaving their pets home alone now that quarantine is lifted (77%).

About the Study

This Ipsos poll was conducted July 16 – 18, 2021, by Ipsos using the probability-based KnowledgePanel®. This poll is based on a nationally representative probability sample of 1,021 general population adults age 18 or older. The sample includes 104 Gen Zers, 230 Millennials, 258 Gen Xers, and 429 Baby Boomers. Generation Z includes ages 18-25, Millennials include ages 26-39, Generation X includes ages 40-55, and Baby Boomers include ages older than 55.

The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3.3 percentage points at the 95% confidence level, for results based on the entire sample of adults. The margin of sampling error takes into account the design effect, which was 1.19. The margin of sampling error is higher and varies for results based on other sub-samples. In our reporting of the findings, percentage points are rounded off to the nearest whole number. As a result, percentages in a given table column may total slightly higher or lower than 100%. In questions that permit multiple responses, columns may total substantially more than 100%, depending on the number of different responses offered by each respondent.

The survey was conducted using KnowledgePanel, the largest and most well-established online probability-based panel that is representative of the adult US population. Our recruitment process employs a scientifically developed addressed-based sampling methodology using the latest Delivery Sequence File of the USPS – a database with full coverage of all delivery points in the US. Households invited to join the panel are randomly selected from all available households in the U.S. Persons in the sampled households are invited to join and participate in the panel. Those selected who do not already have internet access are provided a tablet and internet connection at no cost to the panel member. Those who join the panel and who are selected to participate in a survey are sent a unique password-protected log-in used to complete surveys online. As a result of our recruitment and sampling methodologies, samples from KnowledgePanel cover all households regardless of their phone or internet status and findings can be reported with a margin of sampling error and projected to the general population.

The data were weighted to adjust for gender by age, race/ethnicity, education, Census region, metropolitan status, household income, race/ethnicity by gender, race/ethnicity by age, and race/ethnicity by education. The demographic benchmarks came from the 2019 American Community Survey (ACS) except for the metropolitan status, which is not available from the 1-year ACS data, were obtained from the 2020 March Supplement of the Current Population Survey (CPS).

• Gender (Male, Female) by Age (18–25, 26–39, 40-54 and 55+)
• Race/Hispanic Ethnicity (White Non-Hispanic, Black Non-Hispanic, Latinx, Asian, Other)
• Education (Less than High School, High School, Some College, Bachelor or higher)
• Census Region (Northeast, Midwest, South, West) by Metropolitan status (Metro, non-Metro)
• Household Income (Under $25,000, $25,000-$49,999, $50,000-$74,999, $75,000-$99,999, $100,000-$149,999, $150,000+)
• Race/ethnicity (White/Other Non-Hispanic, Black Non-Hispanic, Latinx, Asian) by Gender (Male, Female)
• Race/ethnicity (White/Other Non-Hispanic, Black Non-Hispanic, Latinx, Asian) by Age (18-44, 45+)
• Race/ethnicity (White/Other Non-Hispanic, Black Non-Hispanic, Latinx, Asian) by Education (Some College or less, Bachelor and beyond)

For more information on this news release, please contact:

Chris Jackson
Senior Vice President, U.S., Public Affairs
Ipsos
+1 202 420-2025
[email protected]

Kate Silverstein
Media Relations Specialist, U.S., Public Affairs
Ipsos
+1 718 755-8829
[email protected]

About Ipsos 

Ipsos is the world’s third largest Insights and Analytics company, present in 90 markets and employing more than 18,000 people.

Our passionately curious research professionals, analysts and scientists have built unique multi-specialist capabilities that provide true understanding and powerful insights into the actions, opinions and motivations of citizens, consumers, patients, customers or employees. We serve more than 5000 clients across the world with 75 business solutions.

Founded in France in 1975, Ipsos is listed on the Euronext Paris since July 1st, 1999. The company is part of the SBF 120 and the Mid-60 index and is eligible for the Deferred Settlement Service (SRD).

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