By Kang Hyun-kyung
Koreans’ favorite sport is baseball, followed by soccer and golf, according to a recent survey.
Nielsen Sports conducted an online survey of 2,600 Koreans in May on Koreans’ perception of sports and sports fans.
When asked to choose multiple sports that appealed to them, baseball took the lion’s share with 62 percent. Soccer took 52.6 percent followed by golf with 30.9 percent, swimming 27 percent and basketball 26.9 percent. Nielsen Sports said the survey was to find sports fans’ interest level in each sport. This is the first time the survey was conducted in Korea. Nielsen Sports said it would conduct the survey every year.
The survey results are reflected in the number of spectators at stadiums. Last year, the 10-club-based Korea Baseball Organization League attracted over 8 million baseball fans to ballparks. The total spectators of K-League football games last year were approximately 1.8 million, an increase of 2 percent from the previous year. Twelve football clubs are competing in the K-League.
The Nielsen survey found a generation gap in the public’s attitudes toward sport events. Among those who are up to 30 years old, soccer is their favorite sport, followed by baseball, e-sports, badminton and basketball. Millenials or those who were born between 1982 and 2000 prefer sports that they can easily access or participate in, according to Nielsen Sports.
The survey also found every six out of 10 Koreans believe corporate sponsorship of sports events positively affects their perception of those sponsoring companies. Over half of the respondents said they believe companies sponsoring sports events are more socially responsible than those that don’t.
Nielsen Sports said it conducted the survey to help businesses considering sports sponsorship or marketing take advantage of the results.