National Surveys

Two in Three Americans Say They Will Watch the Olympics

July 26, 2024
Maryann Cousens

Polling on the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics, including what sports Americans are most excited to watch.

Poll: Summer Olympics 2024

This Navigator Research report contains polling data on the share of Americans who say they will watch at least some of the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics, including what sports they are most excited to watch.

Across partisanship, majorities say they will likely tune in to watch the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.


Two in three Americans say they will likely watch this year’s Summer Olympics, with one in three saying they will “definitely” watch. 66 percent of Americans say they will at leas t“probably” watch some of this year’s Summer Olympics, including 35 percent who say they will “definitely” watch. Watching the Summer Olympics is popular across partisanship, with 70 percent of Democrats, 66 percent of Republicans, and 52 percent of independents saying they will probably tune in. 

  • Men (69 percent) are six points more likely than women (63 percent) to say they will likely watch some of the Summer Olympics, with college-educated women among the most likely demographic groups to say they will be watching (82 percent). 
  • Millennials are the least likely to say they will watch the Olympics (61 percent), while Gen X is the most likely to be watching (71 percent). 
  • Cable news viewers are among the most likely to watch the Olympics, with 83 percent of MSNBC viewers, 80 percent of CNN viewers, and 76 percent of Fox News viewers saying they will be watching.
Bar graph of polling data from Navigator Research. Title: Two in Three Americans Will Tune Into the Olympics, With Gymnastics As a Fan Favorite

Gymnastics, swimming, and track and field are among Americans’ favorite sports to watch during the Olympics.


Americans are most looking forward to watching gymnastics during the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics. When asked what their favorite Olympic sport to watch is, most Americans reported gymnastics as their top pick. Behind gymnastics, swimming and track and field were most frequently cited, followed by basketball.

  • While gymnastics emerged as a favorite for many Americans, men under the age of 55 cite basketball and track and field as their favorite Olympic sports to watch.
  • Democrats and Republicans both say gymnastics is their favorite Olympic sport to watch. Independents say swimming is their favorite, with gymnastics being a close second.
Word clouds from Navigator Research. Title: Gymnastics, Swimming, Basketball, Track & Field Emerge As Fan Favorites for the Olympics

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About The Study

Global Strategy Group conducted a public opinion survey among a sample of 1,000 registered voters from July 11-July 14, 2024. 100 additional interviews were conducted among Hispanic voters. 79 additional interviews were conducted among Asian American and Pacific Islander voters. 100 additional interviews were conducted among African American voters. 100 additional interviews were conducted among independent voters. The survey was conducted online, recruiting respondents from an opt-in online panel vendor. Respondents were verified against a voter file and special care was taken to ensure the demographic composition of our sample matched that of the national registered voter population across a variety of demographic variables. The margin of error for the full sample at the 95 percent level of confidence is +/- 3.1 percentage points. The margin for error for subgroups varies and is higher.