Nearly a quarter of Americans (24%) will be picking their March Madness bracket at random, while 41% base their picks on whichever team they like best
The NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship officially begins today (March 19) and new YouGov research reveals that many (38%) Americans will be following it. Approaching a quarter (23%) plan to watch games on TV, while one in six (17%) will follow the action through social media, TV, newspapers and other media. About as many (16%) will be check scores online, while 8% will stream the match-ups.
YouGov’s data shows clear generational differences when it comes to how people will experience March Madness. Millennials (22%) are considerably more likely than Gen X (15%) and baby boomers (12%) to say they’ll be checking scores online. They’re also more likely (22%) to follow news about the games through social media and other channels than their Gen Xers and baby boomers (both 15%).
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Who is participating in March Madness pools?
Many workplaces and friendship groups have March Madness pools, where participants predict on the outcomes of the games. Among the 15% of adults planning on entering a March Madness pool, the majority (60%) will do so with friends or family. A third (34%) will make predictions with their coworkers, while three in ten (30%) say they’ll be making brackets on their own. Respondents were given the option to select multiple answers, so some may be entering March Madness pools with various groups of people.
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March Madness participants take various approaches to picking their bracket. The most common method is to pick a bracket is personal knowledge of college basketball (45%), closely followed by choosing teams based on their personal fandom (41%). Just over a quarter (26%) follow the advice of experts - a similar number as pick their bracket at random (24%) - while one in five (21%) follow the advice of friends and family. Altogether, fewer than half (45%) are picking their bracket with any knowledge of college basketball.
However, most won’t be winning - or losing - big. Only 19% of Americans plan to put any money on March Madness. Of those who are planning to gamble, three in four (75%) in this group say that they’ll be gambling less than $50. Another 16% of this group will be betting between $50 and $100 dollars, while 8% plan to bet over $100.
See full results here.
Learn more about YouGov Omnibus and YouGov Sport.
Image: Getty