It’s coming home: Four findings from our World Cup study
More than 3 billion people will be tuning into the competition, but experiences around the world differ greatly. Streetbees spoke to 4,500 of its community to find out more.
It’s official: Streetbees has caught World Cup fever.
In a company with 19 nationalities, the group stages have brought a something of a carnival atmosphere to our London office — and Cristiano Ronaldo has ensured our Lisbon team aren’t feeling left out, either.
But what about the Streetbees community? We heard from 4,500 people across 40 countries how they’ll be watching, celebrating and consuming throughout FIFA’s flagship festival of football — and here are four of our favourite findings.
South Africans think England are the team ‘least likely to win the World Cup’
Admittedly, we did ask this question before England’s 6–1 demolition of Panama, but that’s still some statement. Almost 1 in 4 (23%) selected the Three Lions as the side without a chance — more than Iran (13%) and Saudi Arabia (7%).
It’s not all bad blood from Bafana Bafana, though: 28% said they’d be happy to see Southgate’s men win it — placing them fourth behind Argentina (33%), Germany (36%) and Brazil (53%).
Messi or Ronaldo? The debate is settled (sort of)
Breaking our community down by both age and gender, there’s only one player that comes on top — and that’s Leo.
Messi is a favourite across almost all of demographics, perhaps settling the debate once and for all. However, Ronaldo still comes out on top among one group: women over the age of 45. Another gong to add to his ever-growing collection of honours, then.
It’s iced tea for the Italians
Failing to qualify for the first time in 50 years. A national scandal. Protests in the streets. It’s safe to say Italy’s absence from this year’s competition hit their fans hard. But is that stopping them from watching from afar? Not at all.
We asked our Italian community what they’d be drinking during the World Cup, and found that around 13% are opting for iced tea — more than three times the global average (4%).
Not usually a beverage closely associated with sporting occasions, perhaps this is a reflection of a country free from the fervour of tournament football — and an opportunity for brands to capitalise on in the future.
Watching in a bar in the UK or the US? You’d better book a table
If you’re thinking of watching a game in a pub or bar around the UK or the US this summer, make sure you arrive early.
More than 1 in 2 people across both countries (55%) will be watching World Cup matches in a venue, exemplifying the long-standing relationship shared between sports and speakeasies. Compare this to the rest of the world, where under 1 in 2 (32%) say they’ll be venturing out, and the cultural difference becomes even more pronounced.
It’s no secret that alcohol brands have long rubbed their hands as major sporting events come around, and the same goes for the hospitality sector too. With an estimated £720m extra being spent in the UK across the tournament — a figure that could rise to as much as £2.7bn if England go all the way — the impact on the economy is huge.
No pressure then, boys.
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A quick word on our methodology: The figures in the article are taken from Streetbees global community of members, carried out in June 2018. All of the data was collected by mobile and web surveys, and is accurate to within 3 percentage points 19 times out of 20.
