Large Majorities of Americans Support Changes to Better Protect Football Players from Head Injuries

NEW YORK , Oct. 7, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- National attention has recently turned once again to the subject of head injuries in football, at both the professional and scholastic levels. In pro football news there is the recent revelation that Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher – who shot and killed his girlfriend and then himself in December of 2012 – suffered from a degenerative neurological condition known to cause dementia, aggression, confusion, and depression and which has been linked to repeated head trauma. In college football news, several coaches have recently been challenged for allowing possibly concussed players to stay on the field. Meanwhile, three high school football players died within a four-day span in recent weeks, with possible links to head injuries suspected in each case.

Americans show strong support for measures to better protect football players, though a strong majority also acknowledges that the dangers are widely known and thus players participate at their own risk. Particularly telling is that none of these sentiments have shifted substantially since 2010. And while new rules were instituted that same year in order to limit head injuries in professional football, fewer than half of Americans believe these rules have been effective.

These are some of the results of The Harris Poll® of 2,543 U.S. adults (1,275 of whom follow professional football) surveyed online between September 10-17, 2014. It should be noted that respondents were interviewed prior to the aforementioned revelations. (Full results, including data tables, available here)

Protecting the players
Strong majorities of both Americans overall and professional football fans specifically believe that players who suffer a head injury should be required to take a minimum, set amount of time off from playing in order to recover (84% Americans, 88% fans). They also feel there should be a standardized test used to determine if and when injured players at all levels may return to the field (82% and 88%, respectively).

Strong majorities also believe that helmets should be changed to better protect against concussions (83% Americans, 87% fans) and that aggressive tackles which are more prone to leading to head injuries should be restricted in youth football (76% and 79%, respectively).

• Women are more likely than men to agree that aggressive tackles which are more prone to leading to head injuries should be restricted in youth football (81% and 71%, respectively), though it's worth noting that strong majorities of both groups support this action.

On the other hand, more than eight in ten Americans and nearly nine in ten pro football fans believe the risks of playing football are widely known and players participate at their own risk (82% Americans, 88% fans).

Americans unconvinced of the effectiveness of rules instituted in 2010
Fewer than half of Americans (45%) believe that the rules instituted in 2010 to limit head injuries have been effective. However, on this point pro football fans and non-fans are sharply divided: nearly six in ten fans (59%) believe the rules instituted in 2010 have been effective, while fewer than three in ten non-fans (28%) indicate the same.

Hearts over heads
In a 2010 Harris Poll, the sentiment was expressed that "As doctors and scientists continue to research what happens to the human brain following a concussion, it's possible that Americans may also continue to rethink some of their favorite pastimes, including football."

Well, much research has come in since then pointing to a link between repeated head trauma on the field and a wide array of physical and neurological issues later in life. But that "rethink" doesn't appear to be coming anytime soon. Football carries on as America's favorite sport, as affirmed yet again in a January Harris Poll, and the 55% of Americans affirming in this survey that they follow professional football is, in fact, up marginally from the 53% who indicated the same in 2010.

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Methodology
This Harris Poll was conducted online within the United States between September 10 and 17, 2014 among 2,543 adults (aged 18 and over), 1,275 of whom follow professional football. Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online.

All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, The Harris Poll avoids the words "margin of error" as they are misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this ideal.

Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in Harris Poll surveys. The data have been weighted to reflect the composition of the adult population. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to participate in our panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

The results of this Harris Poll may not be used in advertising, marketing or promotion without the prior written permission of The Harris Poll.

Product and brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

The Harris Poll^® #92, October 7, 2014
By Larry Shannon-Missal, Managing Editor, The Harris Poll

About The Harris Poll®
Begun in 1963, The Harris Poll is one of the longest running surveys measuring public opinion in the U.S. and is highly regarded throughout the world. The nationally representative polls, conducted primarily online, measure the knowledge, opinions, behaviors and motivations of the general public. New and trended polls on a wide variety of subjects including politics, the economy, healthcare, foreign affairs, science and technology, sports and entertainment, and lifestyles are published weekly. For more information, or to see other recent polls, visit the Harris Poll News Room.

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SOURCE The Harris Poll