Support for taking the knee in soccer Europe 2021

First used by NFL player Colin Kaepernick as a protest during the United States national anthem before a game in 2016, the gesture of "taking the knee" has been adopted as a symbol of protest and a call to action against racial inequality. During a March 2021 survey among soccer fans across Europe, the majority of respondents were aware of the reasons for players choosing to kneel on one knee before matches. In England, 54 percent of soccer fans supported the gesture, while this figure rose to 79 percent among soccer fans in Portugal.

Public support for professional soccer players taking the knee before matches in selected European countries as of March 2021

Characteristic	Support	Oppose
Portugal	79%	15%
Italy	73%	19%
Spain	71%	22%
Germany	60%	27%
England	54%	39%
Wales	53%	37%
France	52%	32%
Scotland	49%	42%
The Netherlands	44%	45%

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Release date

June 2021

More information

Region

Europe

Survey time period

February 23 to March 31, 2021

Number of respondents

11,362 respondents

Age group

18 and over

Special properties

among soccer fans

Method of interview

Online survey

Supplementary notes

This question was phrased by the source as follows: "In some countries, professional football players and staff have chosen to kneel at the beginning of each game to show their support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Would you support or oppose professional players and staff in your country kneeling before each game in this fashion?"

Missing percentage points to 100 percent are probably due to rounding.

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