World Cup in Qatar

"We must leave the controversy aside and leave room for the game," said Zinedine Zidane recently about the World Cup to be held in Qatar from November 20, 2022. Is this opinion shared by the French population? One thing is for sure, the most awaited sports event of the year has been unleashing passions for many weeks: environmental disaster, ecological aberrations, non-respect of human rights, deplorable working conditions... the controversies around this new edition are not lacking. A few days before the kick-off, Episto, a specialist in social network studies, took the pulse of more than 1,200 French people to find out their point of view on the controversy surrounding the competition, their intention to follow it or not, but also their perception of the brands sponsoring the event or using it for commercial purposes.

An edition expected to be much less followed than in 2018

Soccer is the favorite sport of French people: during the 2018 World Cup in Russia, 45% followed the games. However, the mood does not seem to be the same this year: the percentage dropped to 23%! In detail,14% intend to watch only the French team's matches, and only 9% all the matches. The majority (55%) do not intend to follow it.

Among football fans, disillusionment also seems to have gained ground: while 99% of them followed the matches in 2018, only 68% plan to do so in 2022. 13% will not follow any of the competition.

Boycott call largely supported

For 81% of the French population, the call to boycott certain associations, media, or political parties is justified; a trend that is also true for football fans (63%).

For the French population, several actors should be in favor of this boycott, starting with the French Football Federation (80%). Then come the politicians (79%), the French team (74%), and finally the President (73%).

From an aficionado standpoint, this classification is quite different: the political sphere should support this movement: political personalities (65%) and the President (61%). The French Football Federation comes only in 3rd place (57%). They seem to be even more flexible with the players: less than half (43%) believe that the French population team should adopt a firm stance.

Deplorable working conditions pointed out

The 2022 World Cup suffers from a negative image among all respondents: 86% of French people have a negative perception; this figure is 72% among football fans.

The reasons? French people primarily highlight working conditions on construction sites and ecological damage (76% tied). Next are the non-respect of human rights (70%) and accusations of corruption regarding the awarding of the World Cup to Qatar (40%).

There are few differences among aficionados: working conditions also come first (74%), followed by non-respect of human rights (66%), and then the ecological damage (62%). Accusations of corruption, in fourth place, seem to be more important for this population (45%), which is clearly more attached to the principle of fair play that is part of the spirit of sport.

A warning to sponsors and brands that benefit from the event

For 86% of the French, brands should avoid any communication operation linked to this World Cup. An opinion shared, to a lesser extent, by football fans by 65%.

The official sponsors of 2022 are indeed drawing the ire of a majority of French people: 89% of them have a negative image (nearly 70% among fans). A similar observation applies to brands that would use the event for communication: 89% of French people have a negative image (72% among fans).

However, some differences are observed in how this might translate: while 65% of French consumers declare themselves ready to boycott these brands (ceasing consumption), this percentage drops below 50% among aficionados (40%).

Aficionados are also more inclined to reconsider their stance if these brands were to donate a portion of their profits to a compensation fund for the families of workers who died on the construction sites: 57% state they might change their minds, compared to 40% of French consumers.

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“The revelation of human and environmental damage linked to the organization of the World Cup in Qatar has sparked a protest movement in France and abroad, extending to calls for a boycott of the event. Even football fans have been affected: nearly 20% of them declare they will not follow the competition, while 13% are still undecided. We also note that the controversy could harm brands associated with the event: the individuals we surveyed generally judge them severely. Some even state they are ready to boycott them. It remains to be seen whether these declarations will be followed by concrete actions in the coming months. One thing is certain: French people are also consumers who increasingly expect brands to demonstrate ethical awareness and values aligned with their own,” comments Jérémy Lefebvre, CEO of Episto.

Study Methodology

Representative sample of the French population using the quota method: 1265 respondents.

Survey dates: October 14-18, 2022.

Respondent source: Facebook and Instagram.