Democrats Were For The Saints, Republicans For Colts

By the time this post is published, the Superbowl will be over and either Democrats or Republicans will be happy, but not both. Here’s why:

Americans are so polarized right now, even the Super Bowl’s dividing them along party lines.

Overall 32% of voters we polled on our last national survey said they’d be rooting for the New Orleans Saints this Sunday, with 22% going for the Indianapolis Colts and 46% expressing no preference.

There’s a significant partisan divide within those numbers, as Democrats prefer the Saints by a 36-21 margin while Republicans say they want the Colts to be victorious by a closer 26-25 spread. Independents lean toward the Saints as well, 33-20.

Beyond the partisan divide it’s also interesting to note that a plurality of voters don’t care about who wins the game. It will still pile up huge ratings Sunday night but that finding just quantifies the fact that for many watching the Super Bowl is more about the spectacle than what happens on the field.

–Daniel Strauss