SLU/YouGov Analysis: SLU/YouGov Poll Shows that Missourians Favor Sports Betting, Want Owners to Pay for their Own Stadiums, and Not Surprisingly, Say the Cardinals Are their Favorite Baseball Team

by Kenneth Warren, Ph.D. on 08/29/2024

08/29/2024

SLU's Kenneth Warren, Ph.D., provides expert analysis of the results of the latest SLU/YouGov Poll, examining where Missourians stand on a variety of issues.

Our SLU/YouGov Poll found that 50% of Missouri’s likely voters support a constitutional amendment to the Missouri Constitution to “allow the Missouri Gaming Commission to regulate licensed sports wagering including online sports betting, gambling boats, professional sports betting districts and mobile licenses to sports betting operators; restrict sports betting to individuals physically located in the state and over the age of 21; and permit the state to impose a 10% wagering tax with the revenues appropriated to educational institutions in Missouri." Only 30% opposed this sports betting proposal with 21% “not sure.” This amendment seems very likely to pass.

Likely voters' responses to 'Would you support the above ballot proposition?': 50% Yes, 30% No, and 21% Not sure. Democratic voters' responses: ' 58% Yes, 17% No, and 24% Not sure. Republican voters' responses: 44% Yes, 35% No, and 21% Not sure.

Support for the amendment drew significant support from the St. Louis and Kansas City metro areas with 56% and 58% respectively favoring the amendment. Most rural areas gave only lukewarm support for the amendment: 57% in northwest Missouri, 42% in northeast Missouri, 40% in southwest Missouri, and just 34% in southeast Missouri. Men favored the amendment more than women, 58% to 42%, younger voters more than older voters in a near perfect pattern (64% for the 18–29-year age group, 59% for those 30-44, 43% for those 45-64, and 44% for those 65 and over). Black and “all non-white” voters, 55% and 59% respectively, were more supportive than white voters, 48%, while Democratic voters were more supportive than Republican or Independent voters, 58%, 44%, and 50% respectively. And those with higher educational levels and income were more in favor of the sports betting amendment than those with lower educational levels and income; 55% of those with graduate education favored the amendment, 56% with four-year college degrees, 51% with some college and 42% with high school or less education. 62% of those having household incomes above $100,000 favored the amendment, 50% between $50,000 and $100,000, and 43% of those below $50,000.

Our poll data showed that Missouri likely voters like sports and wagering on sports events, but they want the owners to pay practically all the costs of building their stadiums, and not pass costs of construction on to taxpayers at the state and local levels. 36% of likely voters believed that owners should pay at least 90% of the costs of stadiums, and 28% believed owners should pay 100% of the costs of stadiums. On average, Missouri voters believed that “Owners of teams” should pay for 67% of the costs of stadiums, “The Missouri state government” should pay for 17%,” and “Local governments (e.g., Cities and counties)” should pay for 17%.”

Approximately what percentages of the costs of the construction of professional sports facilities (e.g., stadiums and arenas) should the following be responsible for…Owners of the teams? Average Response: 67% Median Response 70% … The Missouri state government? Average Response 17% Median Response 12.5% Average Response 17% Median Response 15%; Above figures are rounded percentages. Respondents were presented with three slider bars where respondents allocated percentages of costs to “Owners of the teams,” “The Missouri state government,” and “Local governments (e.g., Cities and counties).” Percentages were restricted to add up to 100%.

Not surprisingly, when we asked in our SLU/YouGov Poll what is your favorite baseball team, a large plurality of Missouri’s likely voters (41%) said the St. Louis Cardinals, followed by the Kansas City Royals at 20% with no other team breaking single digits. Of course, this was expected since the St. Louis Cardinals have been around since 1882, known then as the St. Louis Brown Stockings, changing its name in 1883 to the St. Louis Browns, changing its name again to the Perfectos in 1899 after moving from the American League to the National League in 1892, and finally changing its name to its current name, the St. Louis Cardinals in 1900.

While the St. Louis Cardinals entered their 133rd season this year, the Kansas City Royals are a relatively new Major League Baseball expansion franchise formed in 1969 entering into only their 55th season. The St. Louis Cardinals, as one of the oldest professional baseball teams, have won the most World Series championships in the National League (11), and the second most in Major League Baseball. Only the New York Yankees have won more. It is fair to say that Missourians picked the St. Louis Cardinals as their favorite baseball team because the Cards have been around for a very long time, have been very successful, and have built up a large and devoted fan base over many decades because Cardinals broadcasts have aired since 1926, attracting many fans in the Midwest and lower Midwest. This is to take nothing away from the Kansas City Royals, a young franchise with a growing fan base that has already won two World Series.

Whether Missourians are St. Louis Cardinals or Kansas City Royals fans, we found that the vast majority of Missourians are baseball fans. 73% of Missouri’s likely voters in this survey said they had a favorite MLB team. Only 27% said they did not have a favorite MLB team.

This analysis is based on data from the August 2024 SLU/YouGov poll and reflects the opinion of the author.