Twenty-one percent of Central New Yorkers rank the Buffalo Bills as their favorite National Football League (NFL) team, according to a new RMS ViewPoint poll of Central New York panel members. Close behind, 17 percent of Central New Yorkers favored the New York Giants, and the New York Jets came in third at six percent. When it came to Central New Yorkers least favorite teams, the New England Patriots came in as the most hated at 27 percent. Twenty-three percent disliked the Dallas Cowboys, tied with 23 percent responding as not disliking any specific team.

“Football is the most popular sport in America, but it also takes precedence in New York with three teams that call the state home. Central New York is unique because you see quite a mix of team favoritism,” said Zachary Shaw, RMS ViewPoint Panel spokesperson. “Football is not just about the game itself, but the many components or rituals that go into watching a game or games.” Respondents surveyed were asked about fantasy football leagues, favorite football snack foods, hours of football watched and other game time habits.

With the popularity of fantasy sports leagues growing, Central New Yorkers seem to be less intrigued with the trend. Only 27 percent are members of an online fantasy football league, and 53 percent of those invested in a fantasy football league watch football more often because of their league participation. Regarding daily fantasy leagues, 20 percent have participated in a DraftKings league, 16 percent were invested in a FanDuel league, while the largest group, 69 percent did not participate in either a FanDuel or DraftKings league. While 11 percent of those surveyed believed fantasy sports leagues that promote gambling should be banned, 60 percent opposed banning those online fantasy leagues and 29 percent were unsure.

When it comes to how many hours of football Central New Yorkers watch per week, 34 percent watch one to three hours, 31 percent watch four to six hours, 19 percent watch less than one hour, ten percent watch seven to nine hours, and seven percent watch ten or more hours per week. Perhaps contributing to those amounts of time: 91 percent watch the games at their own home, 27 percent watch at a bar or restaurant, 19 percent watch at a friend’s house and 16 percent watch at a family member’s house.

As far as Central New Yorkers’ favorite football foods, pizza was voted the number one snack at 69 percent. Close behind, 60 percent selected chips and dip as their favorite, and 59 percent voted for chicken wings—a fan favorite originating from Buffalo, New York. Thirty-five percent enjoy nachos as a game day snack, and 34 percent opted for the healthier vegetables and dip.

A detailed infographic depicting the full survey results is available below. If you would like to participate in upcoming RMS ViewPoint polls and surveys, please visit RMSresults.com/ViewPoint to sign up.

Football survey infographic-CNY

The RMS ViewPoint poll was conducted from January 8, 2016 to January 24, 2016. A total of 406 surveys were completed. Respondents consisted of RMS ViewPoint Research Panel members, as well as the general community.  Survey invitations were sent through e-mail and social media. All respondents resided within the 16-county CNY area (Broome, Cayuga, Chemung, Chenango, Cortland, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga, Oswego, Seneca, St. Lawrence, Tioga, and Tompkins). For more information, contact Zachary Shaw, RMS ViewPoint Panel Associate at ZachS@RMSresults.com. For more information on RMS ViewPoint, visit RMSresults.com/ViewPoint.

About RMS

Research & Marketing Strategies (RMS) is a full service marketing and market research firm located in Baldwinsville, NY. RMS provides an array of research methodologies that result in actionable analytics and recommendations for the client to enhance decision making. RMS is also home to QualiSight, a premier focus group and interview research facility, and RMS ViewPoint, a leading consumer research panel in Central New York. Visit our website at RMSresults.com.