20.01.2011
Lviv football
- According to a survey conducted by the Rating Group, almost 40% of Lviv residents aged 16 and older consider themselves football supporters. In particular, 6% identify themselves as football fans, 13% as active supporters, and 22% as non-active supporters. The rest do not consider themselves football supporters.
- It is worth noting that, according to a nationwide survey conducted in October 2009, one in three Ukrainians considered themselves football supporters: 5% as fans, 10% as active supporters, and 18% as non-active. This suggests that the increase in the number of football supporters in Lviv occurred over the past year, when FC Karpaty reached the group stage of the UEFA Europa League.
- Based on demographic characteristics, a “portrait of the Lviv football supporter” was developed. Football supporters in Lviv are primarily young, well-educated, and unmarried residents. Half of all students surveyed consider themselves football fans. Middle-aged residents are not far behind, with almost half identifying as supporters, and even among elderly respondents about one third consider themselves football supporters. Among those who are employed, there are more supporters than among the unemployed (48% versus 34%). Among men, supporters are three times more numerous than among women (65% versus 21%). The highest share of supporters is found among voters of Our Ukraine and Svoboda, and the lowest among supporters of Front for Change.
- Among clubs of the Ukrainian Premier League, Lviv residents most strongly support their home team Karpaty (87%), followed by Dynamo Kyiv (46%) and Shakhtar Donetsk (26%). Political divisions are noticeably softened on the football field. Although Shakhtar is most often supported by voters of the Party of Regions, about one quarter of Svoboda, Batkivshchyna, and Our Ukraine voters also support the Donetsk club. At the same time, around half of Party of Regions voters support Karpaty, and almost one third support Dynamo. Among Shakhtar supporters there are significantly more Dynamo supporters (63%) than there are Shakhtar supporters among Dynamo fans (35%). At the same time, more than 90% of both Dynamo and Shakhtar supporters also support Karpaty. Among Karpaty supporters the largest shares are voters of Batkivshchyna and Svoboda, while Dynamo is most popular among supporters of Front for Change.
- The dominant factor in choosing a favorite team among Lviv residents is the team’s local origin, reflecting the idea of “supporting our own.” If two Lviv clubs were to compete in the Premier League next season, only 46% would support only Karpaty and 4% only FC Lviv, while almost 40% would support both Lviv teams.
- Almost 70% of football supporters in Lviv, and more than 80% of Karpaty supporters, gave a positive assessment of the work of Karpaty head coach Oleh Kononov in 2010. Only 10% rated his work negatively, including 8% among Karpaty supporters. Thirteen percent of football supporters in Lviv, and 14% of Karpaty supporters, considered Karpaty’s performance in the 2010 Europa League to be clearly successful, while 54% and 59%, respectively, described it as rather successful since the team reached the group stage. At the same time, 15% of football supporters in Lviv and 12% of Karpaty supporters considered the performance rather unsuccessful, given the last place in the group, and 6% called it an outright failure. Overall, the coach’s performance was assessed somewhat more positively than the club’s results.
- Nevertheless, 76% of football supporters in Lviv, and 82% of Karpaty supporters, believe that Karpaty will again play in the Europa League next season.
Methodology
- Survey population: residents of the city of Lviv aged 16 and older.
- Sample size: 827 respondents.
- Method: face-to-face formalized interview using a questionnaire.
- Sampling error: for values close to 50% — no more than 2.7%, close to 30% — no more than 2.3%, close to 10% — no more than 1.6%.
- Fieldwork dates: 18–26 December 2010.
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