Washington, D.C., February 7, 2025 — As the nation gears up for Super Bowl Sunday, new HarrisX polling reveals that Americans wantNFL players, team owners, the league itself and Super Bowl advertisers to stay clear of most political, economic, and social issues.

Approximately two in three Americans do not want the players, teams or the league to take public stances on such issues as immigration, government spending, tariffs, abortion, transgender rights, or religion.

Views on NFL players speaking up on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) are more nuanced. While a majority (54%) of Americans do not think DEI is a topic for players to discuss publicly, there are strong demographic differences. Gen Zs (54%) and Millennials (58%) say players should take a stance on DEI, but 59% of Gen X Americans and 67% of Baby Boomers think players should not discuss their views publicly. Support for players speaking up amongWhite Americans is at 40%, compared to 54% among Hispanics and 73% among Black Americans.
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"The Super Bowl remains one of the few events that unites Americans. Fans tune in for football—not divisive debates," said Dritan Nesho, CEO and ChiefResearcher at HarrisX. “As the big game nears, it’s clear that Americans want the Super Bowl to remain what it’s always been—a celebration of sports, entertainment, and unity."

Americans also do not think that advertisers should useSuper Bowl ads to take a stance on many hot-button issues. Most say advertisers should not use Super Bowl ads to express their views on religion (73%), politics (72%), transgender rights (70%), abortion (69%), deportations (69%), or DEI(59%).

More Than 200 Million Americans Likely to Watch the Game

According to the NFL, last year’s Super Bowl attracted 202.4 million viewers, becoming the most watched telecast in history. HarrisX data suggests that this year viewership is likely to pass the 200 million threshold once again. Nearly two-thirds (64%) of U.S. adults plan to watch the Super Bowl, slightly up from last year when 61 percent said the same.

The game itself remains the primary draw for viewers (58%),this year’s Halftime Show featuring Kendrick Lamar (16%) and the commercials (14%) follow as secondary motivations. Black Americans, particularly Black men (82%), are among the most likely to tune in. Most viewers will watch from home (74%), with a smaller portion opting for social gatherings or public venues. Most of the fans plan to use FOX for their Super Bowl viewing (54%) while 36% say they will watch the game on one of the streaming platforms (Tubi, NFL+, Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV).

Chiefs vs. Eagles: NFL Fans Rooting for Philadelphia

Fifty-four percent of NFL fans who follow the league very closely want the Philadelphia Eagles to win on Sunday, compared to 39% who want Kansas City to clinch their third consecutive trophy.   

HarrisX’s data shows that when it comes to who will actually win the game, NFL fans see it as a coin toss – 46.8% expect the Eagles to win versus 46.7% who say the Chiefs will emerge victorious.  

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Survey Methodology

This survey was conducted online within the United States February 04-06, 2025, among 2,174U.S. adults via the HarrisX Overnight Poll. The results reflect a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults. Results were weighted for age, gender, region, race/ethnicity, and income where necessary to align them with their actual proportions in the population. The margin of error for the total sample is +/- 2.1 percentage points.

Respondents for the HarrisX Overnight Poll are recruited through opt-in, web-panel recruitment sampling. Recruitment occurs through a broad variety of professional, validated respondent panels to expand the sampling frame as wide as possible and minimize the impact of any given panel on recruiting methods.

About HarrisX & the HarrisX Overnight Poll

HarrisX, a Stagwell company, is a leading global market research and data analytics company that conducts multi-method consumer and voter research across the U.S. and over 40 countries. With offices inWashington, D.C., New York City, London and Toronto, HarrisX advises Fortune100 companies, public policy institutions, global leaders, NGOs, and philanthropic organizations. According to The Washington Post and AmericanResearch Group, HarrisX was the most accurate pollster of the 2020 U.S.presidential election.

The HarrisX Overnight Poll runs 365 days a year in the United States as an omnibus survey; for more information email OvernightPoll@Harrisx.com or visit harrisx.com or reach out

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