Is the tailgate more important than the game?

This story version has been formatted as an on-air script for broadcast outlets. See the original research story here.

FOOTBALL SEASON IS HERE – AND THAT MEANS FOR MANY, TAILGATING IS BACK IN FULL SWING!

A NEW SURVEY REVEALS THAT THE PARKING LOT PARTIES THAT TYPICALLY PRECEDE A GAME CAN BE JUST AS POPULAR AS THE ACTION ON THE FIELD. 

CONDUCTED BY TALKER RESEARCH ON BEHALF OF THE FINNISH LONG DRINK COMPANY, THE SURVEY OF 2,000 ADULTS FOUND THAT FOR MANY, TAILGATING IS THE BEST PART, AS A QUARTER HAVE ATTENDED ONE WITHOUT EVEN HAVING TICKETS TO THE GAME (24%).

SIMILARLY, 22 PERCENT HAVE ATTENDED A TAILGATE WHERE THEY HAD TICKETS TO THE GAME, BUT STAYED AT THE TAILGATE INSTEAD.

WHAT’S THE RECIPE FOR A PERFECT TAILGATE? ACCORDING TO THE SURVEY, 12 PEOPLE IS THE RIGHT AMOUNT FOR ONE  — ALTHOUGH 23 PERCENT SAID IT’S NOT A PARTY UNTIL MORE GUESTS THAN THAT SHOW UP.

OTHER MUST-HAVES INCLUDE FOOD (57%), CHAIRS (41%), ALCOHOL (31%) AND TEAM APPAREL (20%).

UNIQUE TAILGATE TRADITIONS:

• Have a shot of our favorite whiskey and salute to our team
• We rent a school bus
• Clown face makeup for the previous tailgate loser
• The team spirit clothing competition
• My friends would come to my house and bang on my door and yell “IT’S GAME DAY!”
• Bring my favorite pan to cook in
• We set up 4 hours before, get the grill set up. Every one grabs a beer and the last one to finish their beer has to man the grill
• We swap stories of previous great games and tailgate parties and have an award for best story
• One of my favorite tailgate traditions is the mystery dish challenge. Each person brings a dish with a secret ingredient, and we all try to guess what it is while enjoying the food. It adds a fun, interactive twist to the meal!
• The last person to show up to the tailgate has to wear the mascot head at least half time during the game!

Survey methodology:

Talker Research surveyed 2,000 Americans 21 and older; the survey was commissioned by The Finnish Long Drink and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between Aug. 29 and Sep. 3, 2024.

We are sourcing from a non-probability frame and the two main sources we use are:

• Traditional online access panels — where respondents opt-in to take part in online market research for an incentive
• Programmatic — where respondents are online and are given the option to take part in a survey to receive a virtual incentive usually related to the online activity they are engaging in

Those who did not fit the specified sample were terminated from the survey. As the survey is fielded, dynamic online sampling is used, adjusting targeting to achieve the quotas specified as part of the sampling plan.

Regardless of which sources a respondent came from, they were directed to an Online Survey, where the survey was conducted in English; a link to the questionnaire can be shared upon request. Respondents were awarded points for completing the survey. These points have a small cash-equivalent monetary value.

Cells are only reported on for analysis if they have a minimum of 80 respondents, and statistical significance is calculated at the 95% level. Data is not weighted, but quotas and other parameters are put in place to reach the desired sample.

Interviews are excluded from the final analysis if they failed quality-checking measures. This includes:

• Speeders: Respondents who complete the survey in a time that is quicker than one-third of the median length of interview are disqualified as speeders
• Open ends: All verbatim responses (full open-ended questions as well as other please specify options) are checked for inappropriate or irrelevant text
• Bots: Captcha is enabled on surveys, which allows the research team to identify and disqualify bots
• Duplicates: Survey software has “deduping” based on digital fingerprinting, which ensures nobody is allowed to take the survey more than once

It is worth noting that this survey was only available to individuals with internet access, and the results may not be generalizable to those without internet access.