COVID-19: Opinions on the acceptable level of risk within returning sports, by age

The 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), otherwise known as COVID-19, is an infectious disease first identified in the city of Wuhan, capital of Hubei province in China. Infections have since been reported worldwide resulting in an unprecedented international response that amongst other containment measures, lead to the widespread suspension of many sporting fixtures worldwide. During a representative survey of the British adult population, undertaken between the 3rd and 4th June 2020, respondents were asked their opinion on the level of risk expected to be accepted by professional sports men and women should be expected to accept so that sporting competitions can resume.
The responses to this survey have subsequently been categorized into into five groups characterized by the age of the respondents.
Although a similar share of all respondents held the opinion that professional athletes should accept either no risk or a small amount of risk. The greatest difference exists within the 45-54 year old respondents within male respondents, where 37 percent held the opinion that athletes should accept a small amount of risk whereas only 29 percent held the opinion that athletes should accept 'no risk'.