In May/June of 2016, the Center for Public Opinion conducted a survey of 1000 American adults on their awareness and attitudes towards sports and concussions.
As research in the last decade has unveiled a greater link between a variety of activities and post-concussion syndrome, most notably Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy or CTE, Center researchers sought to understand the public’s view of sports and head injuries, with a specific focus on how this affects attitudes about youth sports.
Complete Highlights (pdf)
Topline (pdf)
Methodology (pdf)
There are three main findings which are detailed in the supporting documents:
- There is widespread awareness that concussions and post-concussion syndrome are caused by sports and represent a significant public health issue
- Majorities of Americans would favor changes to youth sports; large majorities do not believe that tackle football or heading the ball in soccer are appropriate until they reach high school. This is true among both men and women.
- Professional, college and national sports organizations, by and large, are viewed by the public as having done too little to address the concussion issue in sports.