Survey: MMA, boxing reaching new generation of sports fans

Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather, nose to nose
In partnership with the Washington Post, the ÐÓ°É´«Ã½ Center for Public Opinion surveyed 1,000 American adults on their attitudes about sports. This, the first release in a series, covers the extent to which sports fan consider themselves fans of professional boxing and mixed martial arts.

KEY FINDINGS

  • More than three-quarters of Americans call themselves sports fans, 20 percent of whom identify as avid sports fans, according to the national survey. 
  • More than a third of all adults, 38 percent, said they like boxing, MMA or both. 
  • The highest percentage of fans of both sports, 39 percent for boxing and 37 percent for MMA, are in the youngest group polled, 18- to 29-year-olds. 
  • The smallest percentage of fans, 13 percent for MMA and 17 percent for boxing, was among the oldest group polled, age 65 and up.