Over half of Irish people believe Ireland can win the Rugby World Cup (RWC) and 38 per cent of the country’s adults are watching most of the matches, the latest Dentsu Pulse survey of 1,000 interviewees indicates. The research showed that 56 per cent believe Ireland can win the competition in France. Of the viewers, 88 per cent are watching matches at home on TV live, with only one in five saying they watch matches in the pub.
One in four Irish adults are not watching or following the matches at all.
Dentsu found that a mere three per cent of respondents said they watched the matches from the stadia in France. The RWC is an opportune time for traditional media, with rugby supporters more likely to be watching TV, listening to radio and reading newspapers both physical and online for information about matches than catching up on social media. One in three rugby fans said they feel positive about brands that sponsor the tournament.
Sources
How people are sourcing information about the RWC varies by age. Rugby fans aged 18-34 years old are still most likely to be getting information about the matches from TV and radio, but are much more likely than older groups to be on Meta or X (formerly Twitter). The study found that radio and newspapers are valued sources before and after matches. Social media only spikes during matches with those aged 18-34 years.
The fieldwork for the report was carried out a week into the tournament.
Ireland’s final group game is against Scotland next Saturday, October 7.
