Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

top

Kenya

Poll: Kenyans high on World Cup fever

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 11- With the FIFA World Cup up and running, it’s no surprise that football is the most popular sport amongst Kenyans at the moment, according to a poll released on Thursday.

The survey which was conducted by Synovate states that 53 percent of Kenyans enjoy watching the world’s most popular sport with second placed athletics only being followed by 14 percent.

“Football is the undisputed favourite sport in Kenya – way ahead of athletics, a sport in which Kenyans excels on the world stage,” said the report which accompanied the survey.

The poll which sought the views of 2,580 Kenyans of 15 years and above was carried out between April and May countrywide.

Rural and urban areas are neck and neck in terms of the level of football’s popularity with 52 percent and 53 percent respectively with interest greater amongst the male population at 74 percent.

Radio is the most popular medium for catching sports action with 64 percent following their favourite teams on the radio waves as opposed to 58 percent who watch their heroes on the tube.

The number of television sports fans is much higher in urban areas at 70 percent against 53 percent in the countryside.

Sports on radio is more popular amongst rural folk where it enjoys a share of 71 percent as opposed to 45 percent in the urban areas with men dominating the medium.

Football is daylight ahead of other sports in terms of television viewer ship at 82 percent with athletics again in the number two spot at 24 percent.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

Rugby, wrestling, basketball and volleyball hover between five and eight percent while golf, swimming and motorsport are only enjoyed by a paltry one percent.

Football also triumphs the competition in radio listenership at a colossal 89 percent.

Its not all doom and gloom for athletics as it is the sport most enjoyed by the fairer sex which bodes well for the upcoming Safaricom Africa Athletics Championships slated for Nairobi from July 28 to August 1.

The report, unsurprisingly, predicts that the World Cup will be on Kenyan minds for the next month and a half.

“Our screens are likely to be hot during the next four weeks and radio batteries will be in high demand as two thirds of us watch sport on TV and/or listen on the radio. And which sport is the most followed on the media – yes, football of course,” the report states.

About The Author

Comments
Advertisement

More on Capital News