Most Irish people will watch the RBS Six Nations rugby games at home instead of the pub, a survey conducted by Empathy Research for Checkout magazine indicates. About 62 per cent of the 1,003 people interviewed say they intend watching Ireland compete in this year’s championships. Of those, 87 per cent will watch it at home or at a friend’s house, compared to 28 per cent who said they would watch it in the pub.
One in ten respondents plan to go to the matches. Three-quarters of respondents watching the games at home said they were looking forward to making them a ‘big social occasion’; 77 per cent of male respondents said they will watch the tournament, compared to 50 per cent of women.
Ireland kicks off its campaign this Sunday against Wales in the Aviva stadium.
Stephen Wynne-Jones, editor of Checkout, said while the early kick-off times during last year’s Rugby World Cup influenced viewing behaviour, the fact that most people will watch the rugby internationals at home is an indication of how viewer habits are changing. The full survey is available to download here
