Below is a summary of the results of my research on the 2011 Rugby World Cup, written for one of my participant groups. If you want to read a longer and more academic version, the reference for the published research is at the bottom.
Take Home Messages
1) New Zealanders wanted to be good hosts – many became involved or learned about rugby in order to better help visitors feel welcome.
2) The media has a big impact on how important people think the Cup is to other New Zealanders. 52% of those surveyed thought the All Blacks winning was important to them as individuals, but 83% thought it was important to other New Zealanders. I suggest that the 31% difference is explained by the media coverage (98% thought the media was making it out to be important) – see Table 2 at the end.
3) Quite a lot of survey respondents don’t like rugby and don’t care about the Rugby World Cup (26% made no effort or were actively trying to avoid the Cup) – see Table 1. But their experiences are almost invisible in the media coverage.
Who Took Part in the Research?
The anonymous survey was completed by 265 people aged 17-86. It is not a representative sample of the New Zealand population because participants self-selected. Recruitment was by several methods including circulation through my (primarily University staff and student) networks, more than 800 information cards handed out during fieldwork (see below) and following interviews on radio and newspaper coverage. Slightly more females (55%) than males completed the survey. Almost everyone lived in New Zealand (97%) and 99% were either New Zealand-born or held New Zealand citizenship (20% were born outside New Zealand, mostly from the United Kingdom, followed by Australia, South Africa, the USA and Fiji).
I undertook observations, informal interviews and survey promotion at parties, workplaces, restaurants, bars, public viewing sites and fan trails, a golf club, university classes and in private homes. I attended two live games in Auckland, and talked with people outside stadia before and after games, at public viewing sites such as Auckland’s party central, and along Fan Trails in both Auckland and Hamilton.
How Did New Zealanders Engage With The Cup?
The results suggest that a “buzz” built up during the event and the statistics showed increasing interest and support over time. However, this result could be affected by the fact that I did a lot of survey recruitment later in the Cup at places where rugby ‘fans’ were more likely to be, such as the Fan Trails.
Overall, 61.5% said they planned to go to a live game and many did so because they were given tickets. 27% said the main way they were watching was going to games, and 29% reported that they had watched at least one game at a stadium. Those who chose not to go to live games cited reasons such as the cost, a belief that it was “better viewing on television”, dislike of the noise and crowds or disinterest in rugby. For some, “old age” was a reason not to go. People who chose to go to games cited reasons such as “patriotism”, free tickets, the atmosphere, a love of rugby, and a desire to be part of history.
The most common way to watch the RWC was via live television broadcast (75%) at home (74%) with a wife/husband or partner (47%), although watching with family (36%) and groups of friends (34%) was also quite common. This pattern fits with TV ratings reported in the news media. Almost 1.7 million people were estimated to have watched the opening ceremony, with Maori Television, Sky and TV3 all pulling in viewing figures for All Blacks games that exceeded 500,000.
Just over one-fifth of survey respondents watched the event by themselves (21%). Less common was watching with flatmates (7%), strangers at a pub (6%) workmates (6%) or teammates (2%). However, it would appear that quite a few people went to the pub with people they knew: 17% reported watching games in a pub. Clearly, not everyone stayed home to watch games: 29% went to the stadium, 22% to a friend’s house, 14% went to the live public sites, 10% to a family member’s home but only 3% watched at work. One person watched at a sports club.
Many followed the Cup through newspaper coverage (30%), television news (27%) or via replays (22%). Some watched highlights (18%) or accessed information on the Internet (15%), while a few got their information via cellphone (4%) or from magazines (2%).
The major change to people’s lives during the Cup was staying up late to watch games (43%). More than a quarter organized Rugby World Cup parties (26%) and just under 12% changed meal times or turned down invitations so they could watch games. A reasonably large percentage paid little attention to the event; 16% actively tried to avoid watching games, 14% watched only if it was on, and 4% watched only if they were bored. One retired male explained that “being retired has its advantages – RWC games can be viewed live without any compromises”. Other individual responses included “going to bed so I don’t have to watch”, missing training, dressing up, using MySky to record games, going on a road trip, and missing other programmes. Very few watched replays during the day (3%).
It was very clear that most people had seen signs of the Cup being held: 90% had seen flags on cars, 89% on houses and almost 60% had seen decorated workplaces or signs and advertising related to the Cup. 82% had seen extra media coverage and 98% thought the media was highlighting the Rugby World Cup as an important event. My observations and media analysis during the Cup also found high visibility of flags – on people’s homes and cars – including an emphasis in media imagery of people and places that were decorated.
Almost half reported making extreme or a lot of effort to watch games, although men (58%) were more highly represented in this group than women (38%) (see Table 1 below). Over half made little effort (28%) or no effort to watch (26%) or actively tried to avoid the Cup altogether (11%). One woman, for example, told me she headed to her no-TV bach for the weekend, leaving her husband free to watch as much Rugby World Cup as he desired.
Table 1: Efforts to watch the Rugby World Cup
| How much effort are you making to watch the RWC? | Male% | Female% | All% |
| Extreme (organizing my life around it) | 20 | 11 | 15 |
| A lot (changes to daily life) | 38 | 27 | 32 |
| =MAKING AN EFFORT | 58 | 38 | 47 |
| Not much | 24 | 30 | 28 |
| None | 8 | 20 | 15 |
| Making efforts to avoid | 10 | 12 | 11 |
| =MAKING NO EFFORT/AVOIDING | 18 | 32 | 26 |
*Note that due to rounding, total percentages may vary slightly from 100%
Rugby Schmugby?
In a small self-selecting 2007 survey during the RWC held in France, less than half (49%) thought winning the Rugby World Cup was important to them as individuals. In 2011, the trend was similar, although a slightly higher percentage (52%) felt it was important to them. Perhaps as a reflection of the broader momentum and ‘buzz’ that built around the event, the percentage who felt an All Blacks win was ‘important’ or ‘very important’ to them rose throughout the survey period, from a low of only 33% before the semi-finals, to 46% before the final, and ending up at 52% (see Table 2). Overall, females were less interested than males in whether or not the All Blacks won the Cup; less than half the women (48%) said an All Blacks win was important to them, compared with 57% of men. For a number of women, ‘It’s just a game!’ Another pointed out that ‘it makes no difference to my life’ (50, female, project manager). Some wanted the All Blacks to win for non-rugby reasons, such as helping the country’s mood. One wrote “don’t want to have to deal with a national depression over the ABs not winning”. Others were worried about increased levels of domestic violence that might follow a loss.
Among the 31% who wrote that winning was not important to them, some felt very strongly about the way that rugby dominates New Zealand culture. “I hate rugby. They are spoilt overgrown babies,” wrote one. Another wrote, “I’m not interested in rugby and think far too much money has been spent in this event”. A third said “to me it is just a game…I find it difficult to see how and why people become so ‘invested’ (financially, emotionally, etc.) in sport although clearly they do!”
BELIEVING OTHER KIWIS CARE
Yet, even those who weren’t interested in the Rugby World Cup themselves believed that other people were. More than three-quarters thought that that winning the Cup was important to other New Zealanders (76% in 2007, 83% in 2011, see Table 2). They based this belief on what they saw and heard around them. About 90% had noticed flags on cars or houses, and almost 60% had seen advertising and signs, or workplaces decorated for the Cup.
Multiple aspects influenced the respondents’ perceptions, including their understanding of rugby’s place in national culture, its link to ‘patriotism’ or ‘national pride’ (mentioned by almost 70 people), what they had seen and heard in daily life and, significantly, the discourses circulated by the media. Many accepted rugby’s broader popularity as a ‘fact’ as the following representative comments indicate: ‘Most people in NZ are mad on the ABs’ (65, female, receptionist) or ‘We are a rugby obsessed country’ (27, male, IT support). Others suggested that New Zealanders liked to support their sporting teams, especially as a small country: ‘Most Kiwis like to see their own win’ (86, male, retired).
A major source of their ideas is the mainstream media, which has convinced them that other Kiwis care passionately about the Cup. Over 80% had noticed extra media coverage and many wrote that it was “everywhere”. One claimed “all newspapers, web site, tv and radio are saturated with it.” Respondents also used terms such as ‘massive’, ‘incessant’, ‘obsessive’, ‘all pervasive’, ‘over the top’, ‘in your face’, ‘heaps,’ ‘ad nauseam’, ‘intolerable’, ‘blanket’, ‘saturation’, ‘huge’ and ‘excessive’ to describe their perceptions of the coverage. They overwhelmingly (86%) agreed it was difficult to avoid hearing about the Cup. Almost everyone (98%) thought the media was presenting the Cup as an important event (77% chose ‘very important’, see Table 2). Those who thought the coverage was ‘enough’ (52%) slightly outnumbered those who thought it was too much (46%). Some were happy about the high level of coverage. One rugby fan wrote, “not complaining though, I love the fact its hard to avoid.” Others were upset that rugby was pushing “proper news” off the front pages or nightly news.
Getting Caught Up in the Rugby Buzz
Many people, including those who are not normally rugby fans, became interested in the event. As one explained, ‘Kiwis have got caught up in the buzz of it all. Even my mother, who says she hates rugby, has been writing all the results down on the scorecard’ (57, male, bus driver). During fieldwork, a woman told me, ‘I think its cool that when you watch games in the provinces, they are full. It rubs off. It becomes infectious. You watch the crowds having a good time.’ These views fit well within the broader framing of media coverage and the public visibility of flags on cars and houses. Many enjoyed the chance to be good hosts for visitors. As one wrote, ‘Environment is great! Flags seen are great!!! I think NZ is being a very great host! :)’ (19, female, student). A Herald-Digipoll shortly before the Cup began found that 59% rated providing visitors with a good time as more important than winning the Cup; only 36% put winning first. Certainly, the survey respondents noted this aspect:
It’s pretty much very positive. It’s been great to be in a host country as well as a host city. Everyone seems to be happy with the way in which it has been managed. There are lots of great stories and anecdotes…. It’s a privilege to be a host nation for any sporting event. It’s been wonderful to see NZ’ers embrace and support the AB’s but also the generosity and interest shown to overseas teams and visitors by people throughout the country. (59, female, researcher)
Looking at the results overall, the view of a 36-year-old PR consultant reflected them well:
I have some friends who are very interested, who watch all the games and others who I spend time with who never mention it. I think there are different levels of interest, some love rugby, others love the buzz which is around Auckland and the added events and the excuse to have a mid-week catch up with friends while others have no interest at all.”
Table 2. Comparisons of importance of the All Blacks Winning the Rugby Cup to Self, to Other New Zealanders, by the Media
| How important is it that the All Blacks win the RWC? | To You
% |
M* | F* | To Other NZers % |
M | F | By the Media
% |
M | F |
| 1 Very | 33 | 38 | 29 | 57 | 63 | 53 | 77 | 77 | 78 |
| 2 Important | 19 | 19 | 19 | 26 | 24 | 29 | 21 | 19 | 22 |
| =IMPORTANT | 52 | 57 | 48 | 83 | 87 | 82 | 98 | 96 | 100 |
| 3 Somewhat | 17 | 14 | 19 | 13 | 10 | 15 | 2 | 4 | <1 |
| 4 Not very | 9 | 6 | 12 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 Not | 22 | 23 | 21 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| = NOT IMPORTANT | 31 | 29 | 33 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
*M = all males who answered the question; *F = all females
Published Academic articles from the research (may only be available to those with access to University or Research Library databases):
Bruce, Toni. (2014). A spy in the house of rugby: Living (in) the emotional spaces of nationalism and sport. Emotion, Space and Society. pp. 32-40. DOI: 10.1016/j.emospa.2013.12.002
Bruce, Toni. (2013). (Not) a stadium of four million: Speaking back to dominant discourses of the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand. Sport & Society, 16(7), 899-911.
Big Picture Sport 