This year’s World Cup is set to have a much-needed positive impact on the nation’s mood and the economy
A whopping 82% of Brits expect the upcoming World Cup to have a positive effect on the UK, especially if the England team go far in the tournament, according to a new study from Newsworks.
The majority believe the World Cup will lift the nation’s mood (59%), providing fun moments for people to socialise (44%) as well as bringing the nation together (43%).
Supporters have high hopes for the England team, with new manager Thomas Tuchel at the helm. 74% claim they’re hoping for the best, with 38% keen for the England squad to do the nation proud and 36% hoping they will go all the way and lift the trophy.
Importantly, World Cup glory could also give a massive boost to the nation’s coffers: nearly four in 10 respondents believe it could lift the UK economy by as much as 3%, adding a much needed £85 billion to the public purse.
With matches set to take place in June and July, 77% of those following the tournament anticipate spending extra money while watching the games, with 42% saying they’ll buy drinks to have at home and 31% saying they will spend more money in pubs and bars.
Fans are also expected to buy food to share with others (31%), purchase streaming passes for the competition (16%), and spend money on football shirts (15%).
With all the hype and build up around the event, 85% of Brits intend to consume media wherever England place, with 46% of people saying they’re still planning to watch most games even if England go out.
Meanwhile, 77% of people engaged with the tournament will turn to news brands to keep up to date with the latest from the competition. Of these World Cup followers, 74% will use news websites or apps, 49% will follow news accounts on social media, 39% will tune into podcasts and 35% will read newspapers.
The majority of news readers feel positive about the World Cup (61%), meaning news readers are 18% more likely to feel good about the tournament than the average person in the UK.
When it comes to advertising, 40% of fans agree that ads should engage with the World Cup news and drama.
Jo Allan, Newsworks CEO, said: “An England win would be a huge victory for the country both in terms of national pride and sentiment, but also a much welcome injection to the overall UK economy.
“With so many people planning to follow the tournament this summer and with many games being overnight, news brands will play a key role in keeping fans updated, informed and entertained as the full drama and colour of the World Cup unfolds.
“Publishers offer advertisers a unique opportunity to be fully immersed in quality content during this huge cultural event,with attentive and engaged audiences across a variety of platforms. No-one does football quite like news brands.”
