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One in two Poles watch football games, and nearly all football supporters (89%) are proud that the UEFA Euro 2012 is going to take place in Poland, according to a survey conducted by PMR Research. Almost a half of football fans expect only an exit from the group.
54% of Poles watch football matches. Differences between male and female respondents come as no surprise – the percentage of men who watch football games is more than double the size of the percentage of women (75% vs. 35%). In terms of age, nearly two thirds of people aged over 65 follow football (62%), compared with just one in two in the age group 25-44 (51%).
Almost all Poles who watch football games are going to follow the Euro 2012 tournament (95%). Elderly respondents (over 65 years old) are the least loyal fans of Euro 2012 – 17% are not planning to watch the event, compared with just 3% in other age groups (18-64 years old).

Euro 2012 in Poland a source of pride
Poles who watch football are proud that Poland is hosting the Euro 2012 championship, as declared by 89% of respondents in a PMR Research survey. The proudest group are those aged 25-44 (94% are proud Poland is hosting the event), while for the youngest age group (18-24 years old) and respondents aged over 45, the results were on average 10 percentage points lower (85% for respondents aged 18-24, and 87% of Poles aged over 45).

Do we believe in the Polish football team?
The Polish team has no hope of a success greater than exit from the group, according to the forecasts of 46% of Polish football fans. Close to one in three supporters (29%) do not believe even in that. However, some respondents are optimistic – 12% believe that Poland will reach the quarter-finals, 6% that it will be in the semi-finals, 5% – in the finals, and some (albeit just 2%) that Poland will win Euro 2012. The biggest pessimists in terms of forecasts for the chances of the Polish team in the championship are respondents aged 18-24 lat: as many as 35% believe Poland is not going to exit the group. At the same time, 8% are of the opinion that our team will reach the finals.

Where and who are we going to support?
Football fans are planning to watch games mainly at home, in front of their TV (91%), but also in bars and pubs (17%) or on screens in cities (7%). One in two male respondents (19%) are going to watch matches in bars or pubs, compared with 13% of women. Among people who declare plans to watch games in a bar or a pub 71% are aged 18-34. The same age group dominates the category of fans planning to watch games on screens (78%).
Poles will definitely be behind our team during the Euro 2012 tournament (95%), and nearly two thirds (62%) are not going to support other countries. However, if they are going to root for other national teams, it will be Spain (17%), Germany (7%), England (5%), the Netherlands (5%) and Italy (5%). Women support mainly Spain (13%) and Italy (7%), and men – Spain (19%), Germany (9%) and England (9%).

To sum up, the research of PMR Research suggests that football fans believe that the fact Poland is hosting the Euro 2012 championship is a reason to be proud. At the same time, they do not expect that Poland will be very successful, but believe that our team will at least exit the group.
The nationwide consumer survey was carried out by PMR Research in April 2012 on a representative sample of 600 adult Poles. The estimation error reached no more than 5%.