Which Footy Code is Winning in the Reputation Stakes

Grand final week is upon us and while we at Daymark have been keeping an eye on our beloved teams, we have also been watching the reputation of the AFL and NRL codes.

And it has been a season of ups and downs for both codes, but interestingly both codes’ reputation ends up at about where they started back in February 2017 (see graph).

We ask a nationally representative sample of 1500 people across Australia each month to rate the codes’ reputation from overall good to overall bad. The results are an average score out of 100.

While the AFL has a higher overall rating, both codes have a modest reputation with the broader public. There are some expected State differences: last week the AFL’s reputation rating in Victoria was 62%, and the highest for the NRL was in Queensland at 50%.

But what we look for most at Daymark is the trend, and the reputation of both codes trends slightly down across the season.

We also measure ‘don’t care’ ratings. On average 18% of respondents elected this instead of making a reputation rating for AFL, with a similar figure for NRL but showing higher variability across the season.

Most improved reputation ratings over the season? For the NRL, it is has been with the 18 to 24 age bracket and for the AFL the 55-64 year-olds.

In terms of women, the average reputation rating over the season for AFL was 43% among women, and NRL 37%.

Drop me a line if you would like to know more. There is, of course, always next season. And there are other footy codes.