Rugby still top

Press, 10 June 1978, Page 12

Rugby still top

By

R. T. BRITTENDEN

■ tRugby football may have been under fire in the last year or' two because of some indifferent performances at national level and concern at rough and dangerous play, but for one-third of the adult, urban population, it is still at the top of the popularity poll. A survey has been made by Market Research New Zealand, Ltd, in which 1000 adults in urban areas throughout the country were asked to name their main fields of sporting or cultural interests as a participant, administrator, spectator or television Rugby was a main interest for 34 per cent of those asked to take part in the survey. Cricket and tennis came second, each with 25 per cent, and soc-

cer (17 per cent) came second to rugby among the winter sports. There are some unexpected results in the survey, but they may be attributed in part to the framing of the question — which asked for a main interest only. It means that someone who likes soccer but is also Interested in basketball might vote for soccer and his support of basketball is lost The votes of men only were for rugby (42 per cent), cricket (34), soccer

! (21), tennis (17), golf (15), ; horse racing (12), and motor racing (11). Bowls, which has a huge membership, was low on the list — another case probably of dual interests, in which bowls i came second. Women rated tennis top i (32 per cent), followed by rugby (25), swimming and cricket (16), soccer (12), i with atletics, netball and > golf at 8 per cent Non-sporting pursuits ’ best rated were music and opera (11 per cent), fish- • ing (5), gardening and art-

culture (4). The results over the over-all survey were:— Rugby 34 per cent; cricket and tennis 25; soccer, 17; golf and swimming, 12; horse racing, 9; sport in general 8; motor racing 7. Athletics, squash, yachting and bowls, 6; basketball, netball, softball, 2; badminton, rugby league, hockey, 4; boating and boat racing, gymnastics, harriers and running, snooker, billiards and tramping, 3. Ski-ing, table tennis, horse riding, marching, mo t o r-cycle speedway, motor sports and flyinggliding, 2; motor rallying, polo, rowing, shooting, stock car and drag racing, surfing, water ski-ing, wrestling, boxing, cycling, diving, darts, 1.