Australians rate AFL Grand Final as their favourite sporting event

The AFL Grand Final is the sporting event most frequently cited by Australians as their favourite according to new research from market research company, YouGov.

Second on the list was the Australian Open tennis, with 2.4 million (13%) of Australians considering it their favourite sporting event. The Australian Open rated higher among women, with 16% citing it as their most favourite compared with 9% of men.

The top 10 favourite Australian sporting events included the State of Origin (6%), the NRL Grand Final (6%), Boxing Day Test (4%), Melbourne Cup Carnival (3%), Bathurst 1000 (3%), Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix (3%), A-League Men Grand Final (2%) and the BBL Men Final (2%).

14% of respondents listed other sports - which included the likes of the Tour Downunder, professional golf events, Bledisloe Cup, Super Rugby and World Surf Tour events among others.

Significantly, the younger generations were least likely to have a favourite sporting event - just 67% of 18-24 year olds and 66% of 25-34 year olds indicated they have a favourite sporting event.

YouGov interviewed 3,161 Australians aged over 18 in the survey.

Image: 2021 AFL Grand Final action at Perth's Optus Stadium. Credit: VenuesLive.