The Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots aren’t the only ones preparing for Super Bowl LX.
Across the country, fans are mapping out their own game plans. There’s the halftime debate (which Bad Bunny song opens the set?), the snack table politics (pizza or wings — and who brought the veggie tray again?) and the annual hosting dilemma: Do you volunteer your house and risk a fourth-quarter cleanup, or play it safe on someone else’s couch?
Then there are the betting squares, the group chats and the one friend who insists they’re “just here for the commercials.”
If any of that sounds familiar, you’re not alone.
To see how the rest of America is handling the biggest Sunday of the year, a Seton Hall Sports Poll conducted Jan. 27-30 surveyed 1,596 adults about how they’ll spend Super Bowl Sunday — from where they’ll watch to what they’ll eat and whether they’re putting money on the line, or not.
Football still comes first
Which part of the Super Bowl broadcast do you look forward to the most, the game, the halftime show, or the commercials?
For all the spectacle surrounding the Super Bowl — the halftime show, celebrity commercials and social media memes — most fans are still primarily watching for one thing: football.
Nearly half of respondents said the game itself is the part of the broadcast they’re most excited about, outpacing both the halftime show and commercials by a wide margin. Even with Bad Bunny headlining the break and brands rolling out seven-figure ad spots, the action on the field remains the main draw.
And when they do watch, they’re sticking with the big screen. Traditional TV still dominates the viewing experience, with 50% of the general population and 65% of self-described sports fans planning to tune in that way, while a smaller group mixes in streaming or mobile devices.
Seahawks draw more national support
At the 2026 Super Bowl, which team are you rooting for to win?
Among the general population
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Seattle Seahawks: 27%
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New England Patriots: 15%
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Just want to watch a great game: 35%
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Don’t know/No opinion: 23%
Among self-described NFL fans
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Seattle Seahawks: 38%
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New England Patriots: 20%
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Just want to watch a great game: 27%
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Don’t know/No opinion: 15%
There’s a clear favorite among respondents heading into Super Bowl LX — and it’s not New England.
More Americans are backing the Seahawks over the Patriots, with Seattle nearly doubling New England’s support overall. The gap widens among self-described NFL and sports fans, where the Seahawks hold a near 2-to-1 edge, and in no surveyed group did more than 1 in 5 pick the Patriots.
“This may be a new generation of post-Tom Brady era fans who are surprised that the Patriots are returning to the Super Bowl and miss the regular appearance of the Chiefs and Mahomes,” said Charles Grantham, director of the Center for Sport Management and the Seton Hall Sports Poll. “The return of the winners of six Super Bowls may also drive people to the Seahawks.”
Home is the real host
Where do you plan on watching the 2026 Super Bowl?
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At home with immediate family: 42%
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At home alone: 24%
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At a friend or family member’s house: 15%
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Hosting a party: 8%
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At a bar or restaurant: 3%
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In person at the stadium: 1%
The Super Bowl might have the reputation of being an unofficial party holiday, but most viewers are keeping things lowkey. Living rooms beat bars and big gatherings by a wide margin, with fans opting for couches, family and familiar setups over crowded watch spots.
Younger viewers are the most social, with 21% of respondents aged 18-34 planning to watch at a friend’s house and 5% heading to a bar or restaurant. Meanwhile, older fans are far more homebound with nearly half of those 55-plus saying they’ll watch with immediate family and another 30% plan to watch alone. Still, across every age group, staying home remains the clear favorite — proof that the biggest game of the year is largely a living room tradition.
Pizza and wings rule the menu
What is your favorite food to eat while watching the Super Bowl? (check all that apply)
Every year, there’s talk of mixing up the snack spread. But, pizza and wings always win anyway. The classics continue to dominate Super Bowl Sunday plates while healthier options trail behind — but there isn’t a wrong answer here. This question proved especially popular, as every option earned double-digit support, including hot dogs/pigs in a blanket (15%) and meatballs (12%), which still finished lowest among the 10 choices.
Bad Bunny brings buzz — and a growing audience
I am looking forward to the Bad Bunny halftime show at the Super Bowl.
Among general population
Among self-described NFL fans
Among ages 18-34
The halftime show might not beat the game for overall attention, but Bad Bunny is moving the needle.
More than a third of Americans say they’re excited for the Puerto Rican superstar to take the stage, with interest climbing even higher among NFL fans and younger viewers. The momentum has also increased in recent months, jumping roughly five points across most groups compared to an October 2025 Seton Hall poll — a sign that anticipation is building as kickoff gets closer.
“Bad Bunny is the most popular musician on the planet according to Spotify and he recently won multiple Grammys, including the coveted Album of the Year,” said Daniel Ladik, methodologist of the Seton Hall Sports Poll. “The Super Bowl is the most watched event in the U.S., and the NFL clearly wants to leverage his popularity both here and to the growing NFL international audience abroad.”
Betting adds extra juice to the broadcast
If you placed a bet on a sporting event, would it make you more likely to watch the broadcast of that event?
Nearly 1 in 3 Americans say they’ve placed a sports bet before, and among those who have, almost half say having money on the line makes them more likely to tune in. From office squares to app-based wagers and same-game parlays, betting has become another layer of engagement that keeps even neutral viewers locked into every play.
That doesn’t mean everyone is rushing to the sportsbook, though. Informal pools still outpace formal bets and the majority of fans say they’re sitting this one out financially.
Editor’s note: These results are derived from a Seton Hall Sports Poll conducted Jan. 27-30 among 1,596 U.S. adults. The poll, which is sponsored by The Sharkey Institute within Seton Hall University’s Stillman School of Business, features a nationally representative sample from YouGov PLC, weighted on U.S. Census Bureau figures for age, gender, ethnicity, education, income and geography with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.0%.
