As part of its political polling, the University of Massachusetts Amherst asked Americans about their views on recent changes in college athletics — particularly those that expand financial compensation for college athletes.
The results indicate that Americans express some hesitation about directly paying college athletes a salary, with just over one-third of respondents (36%) supporting this approach.
By contrast, there is greater comfort with allowing athletes to profit from their name, image, and likeness (NIL), which 43% support and only 24% oppose.
"Our findings show that a plurality of Americans support allowing college athletes to profit from their notoriety, while fewer express opposition to NIL policies," said UMass provost professor of political science Tatishe Nteta. "Support is particularly strong among younger and middle-aged Americans, African Americans, and independents. However, consistent with broader national trends, there is a clear partisan divide: Republicans, conservatives, Trump voters, and those aligned with the MAGA movement express the highest levels of opposition to NIL, while Democrats and progressives are among the ardent supporters of NIL benefits.
Nteta notes that across myriad political issues in the United States, the poll found consistent divides along generational, partisan, and racial lines.
"Similar patterns emerge in attitudes toward policies that expand financial compensation for college athletes and increase their autonomy in choosing where to attend school," Nteta said. "Younger and middle-aged adults, Black Americans, Democrats, and liberals are more likely to support these changes, whereas older Americans, White Americans, Republicans, and conservatives tend to be less supportive."
See below for complete results from the poll:
