2021 Super Bowl: Over 185 million estimated viewers
The latest consumer spending data from NRF and Prosper Insights & Analytics’ 2021 Super Bowl survey found that 186.6 million U.S. adults said they planned to tune in to the big game.
With the ongoing impact of COVID-19, it’s no surprise that consumers’ Super Bowl celebration traditions looked a little different this year. While many typically use the game as an excuse to get together with friends, just 28 percent said they would be throwing or attending a party or watching the game at a bar, the lowest in the survey’s history.
But just because we had to celebrate differently this year, it didn’t mean everything had to change.
Over the past year, consumers have become experts at making traditional events feel as normal as possible. From stocking up on fun food and beverages to team apparel or splurging on a new TV, 86 percent of viewers planned to make purchases to help mark the occasion. And they planned to spend $74.55 on average, for a total $13.9 billion nationwide.
See the data in the infographic below and explore NRF’s Super Bowl Dashboard for historical data and trends.
NRF has been conducting its annual Super Bowl survey for more than a decade to see how consumers expect to spend and celebrate over game day. Take a deeper look into the trends over time, and use the interactive charts to explore demographic breakdowns of total spending, average spending and what attracts consumers to the event.
The 2021 survey of 7,882 adults 18 and older was conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics January 4-12 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.1 percentage points.
Historical highlights
- 2020: Consumers say they’ll spend an average $89 on Super Bowl (click through to dashboard)
- 2019: Consumers say they’ll spend an average $81 on Super Bowl
- 2018: Consumers to spend $15.3 billion on 2018 Super Bowl
- 2017: Consumers will spend $14.1 billion on 2017 Super Bowl
- 2016: An estimated 189 million Americans expected to watch Super Bowl 50
- 2015: 184 million Americans to watch 2015 Super Bowl, according to NRF Survey
Results of the Super Bowl spending survey are released each year in January.