World Cup in Qatar

"We need to put the controversy aside and focus on the game," declared Zinedine Zidane recently about the World Cup taking place in Qatar starting November 20, 2022.. Is this view shared by the French? One thing is certain, the most anticipated sports event of the year has been stirring passions for many weeks: environmental disaster, ecological absurdities, human rights violations, deplorable working conditions... the controversies surrounding this new edition are numerous. A few days before the kick-off, Episto, a specialist in social media studies, took the pulse of over 1,200 French people to understand their views on the controversy surrounding the competition, their intention to follow it or not, and their perception of the brands that sponsor the event or use it for commercial purposes.

An edition that is expected to be much less followed than in 2018

Football is the favorite sport of the French: during the 2018 World Cup in Russia, 45% of them followed the matches.However, the atmosphere does not seem the same this year: the percentage drops to 23%! In detail, 14% only plan to watch the matches of the French team, and only 9% intend to watch all the matches. The majority (55%) do not plan to follow it.

Among football fans, disillusionment also seems to have set in: while 99% of them followed the matches in 2018, only 68% are considering it in 2022. 13% will not follow the competition at all.

The call for a boycott is mostly supported

For 81% of the French, the call for a boycott from certain associations, media, or political parties is justified; this trend is also confirmed among football fans (63%).

For the French, several stakeholders should position themselves in favor of this boycott, starting withthe French Football Federation (80%).Next are political figures (79%), the French team (74%), and finally the President of the Republic (73%).

From the perspective of aficionados, this ranking is very different. According to them, it is primarily the political sphere that should support this movement: political figures (65%) and the President of the Republic (61%). The French Football Federation ranks only third (57%). They are even more lenient toward the players: less than half (43%) believe that the French team should take a firm stance.

The deplorable working conditions of workers pointed out

The 2022 World Cup suffers from a negative image among all respondents:86% of the French have a negative perception; 72% are on the side of football fans.

The reasons?The French primarily point to working conditions on construction sites and ecological damage (76% tied).. Next are the violations of human rights (70%) and corruption allegations regarding the awarding of the World Cup to Qatar (40%).

There are few differences among fans: working conditions also come first (74%), followed by human rights violations (66%) and ecological damages (62%). Corruption allegations, in 4th place, seem more significant for this group (45%), clearly more attached to the principle of fair play inherent to the spirit of sport.

A warning to sponsors and brands profiting from the event

For 86% of French people, brands should avoid any communication related to this World Cup. This opinion is shared, to a lesser extent, by football fans at 65%.

The official sponsors of 2022 indeed face the ire of a majority of French people: 89% of them have a negative image (almost 70% among fans). Similar observation for brands that would use the event for communication: 89% of French people have a negative image of them (72% among fans).

However, some differences are noted in how this could be expressed: while 65% of French people claim they are ready to boycott these brands (stop consuming), this percentage drops below 50% among fans (40%).

The latter are also more inclined to revise their judgment if these brands were to donate part of their profits to a compensation fund for the families of workers who died on the construction sites: 57% say they might change their minds compared to 40% of the French.

“The revelation of human and environmental damages related to the organization of the World Cup in Qatar has sparked a wave of protests in France and abroad, even leading to calls for a boycott of the event. Even football fans have been shaken: nearly 20% of them state that they will not follow the competition while 13% are still questioning it. It is also noted that the controversy could harm brands associating with the event: people we interviewed judge them overall harshly. Some even say they are ready to boycott them. It remains to be seen whether these statements will be followed by concrete actions in the coming months. One thing is certain; the French are also consumers who increasingly expect brands to have an ethical conscience and values aligned with their own.”, comments Jérémy Lefebvre, CEO of Episto.

Study methodology

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

Study dates: from October 14 to 18, 2022.

Source of respondents: Facebook and Instagram.