Go Crazy Folks: The St. Louis Cardinals Are Missouri’s Favorite Baseball Team
Voters in a 2024 SLU/YouGov Poll Call the Cardinals Their Favorite Team
ST. LOUIS – The St. Louis Cardinals are tops with fans in the State of Missouri.
In August 2024, the SLU/YouGov Poll interviewed 900 likely Missouri voters, asking them to name their favorite Major League Baseball team. The poll found that 41% of Missourians polled say the St. Louis Cardinals are their favorite team. The Kansas City Royals were the favorite team of 20% of those polled.
The Billiken throws out the first pitch to Fredbird at Busch Stadium during Billiken Night at the Ballpark in 2018 as SLU President Fred P. Pestello, Ph.D., stands by. SLU file photo.
“In a time of contentious politics, the Cardinals enjoy strong support from Missouri Republicans, Democrats, and Independent voters,” said Steven Rogers, Ph.D., SLU/YouGov Poll Director and associate professor of political science at SLU. The August 2024 SLU/YouGov poll found 45% of Missouri Republican voters, 38% of Missouri Democratic voters and 42% of Missouri Independent voters named the Cardinals as their favorite team. Again the Royals were the second favorite team of each Republicans (17%), Democrats (24%), and Independent (20%) voters.
The poll listed all Major League teams. The teams leading in the American League and National League standings when the poll concluded were also the next two most popular teams in Missouri. Two percent of those polled chose the New York Yankees as their favorite team, and one percent chose the Los Angeles Dodgers. No other team received a full percentage, but St. Louis’ historic rival Chicago Cubs received support from 0.93% of those polled.
Cardinal Nation not only includes fans in the metropolitan St. Louis area. Voters showed their love of the Redbirds in the northeast, southwest and southeast parts of Missouri. Royals fans came predominantly from the Kansas City metro area and the northwest region of the state.
Not all Missourians are baseball fans. Twenty-six percent of Missouri likely voters stated they did not have a favorite Major League Baseball team. But there were key differences across age groups, according to Rogers.
“Perhaps surprisingly to those who think baseball is a game for older generations, voters who were 18 to 29 years old were the most likely to say they had a favorite Major League Baseball Team, suggesting America’s pastime is not going away anytime soon.”
The margin of error for the full survey sample is ± 3.79%.
Methodology and Funding
YouGov interviewed 900 likely Missouri voters between Aug. 8-16, 2024. The YouGov panel, a proprietary opt-in survey panel, is comprised of 3.1 million United States residents who have agreed to participate in YouGov Web surveys. Using their gender, age, race, and education, YouGov weighted the set of survey respondents to known characteristics of Missouri voters from the American Community Survey (ACS) public use microdata file, public voter file records, the 2020 Current Population Survey (CPS) Voting and Registration supplements, the 2020 National Election Pool (NEP) exit poll, and the 2020 CES surveys, including demographics and 2020 presidential vote. The margin of error for the weighted data is 3.79%.
The August 2024 SLU/YouGov Poll was funded by the PRiME Center in SLU’s School of Education.
About YouGov
Saint Louis University has partnered with YouGov to conduct its annual survey of Missouri voters. YouGov conducts surveys for multiple academic institutions and is the primary, trusted survey firm for media organizations, including CBS News and The Economist. An independent Pew Research Center study of online survey firms in 2016 further concluded that YouGov “consistently outperforms competitors.”
About Saint Louis University
Founded in 1818, Saint Louis University is one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious Catholic institutions. Rooted in Jesuit values and its pioneering history as the first university west of the Mississippi River, SLU offers more than 15,200 students a rigorous, transformative education of the whole person. At the core of the University’s diverse community of scholars is SLU’s service-focused mission, which challenges and prepares students to make the world a better, more just place.
Latest Newslink
- SLU's Flying Billikens to Host Regional Event for National Intercollegiate Flying CompetitionThe Flying Billikens from the Oliver L. Parks Department of Aviation Science will host the 2025 National Intercollegiate Flying Association Competition's Region VI and VIII SAFECON event Oct. 13-18 at the St. Louis Downtown Airport.
- SLU Program in Physical Therapy Class of 2028 Celebrates White Coat CeremonyThe Saint Louis University Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) Class of 2028 recently celebrated its initiation into the professional phase of the program by hosting a white coat ceremony. The ceremony took place at Saint Francis Xavier College Church and celebrated more than 80 students advancing to the professional phase of the program.
- Saint Louis University Commits up to $1.4 Million for Teacher Education Through New StayTeachLead Scholarship ProgramThis week, Saint Louis University School of Education launched the StayTeachLead Scholarship Program, an initiative designed to strengthen the local teacher pipeline through direct partnerships with St. Louis area schools.
- SLU Student Earns Obama-Chesky ScholarshipSaint Louis University political science major Faith Townsell has been named a 2025-2027 Voyager Scholarship Recipient. The Obama-Chesky Scholarship for Public Service supports students who have a passion for helping others, experience serving their communities, and can demonstrate an expansive view of what's possible through public service.
- 'Soul on Fire,' Film Based on the Life of Saint Louis University Alum John O'Leary, Opens Friday, October 10"Soul on Fire," a film based on the life story of John O'Leary (CSB '99) and shot on the campus of Saint Louis University in 2023, opens in theatres nationwide on Friday, Oct. 10. The film had a star-studded world premiere in St. Louis at Powell Hall on Oct. 2.
- Center for Bosnian Studies at SLU to Present Civic Courage AwardThe Center for Bosnian Studies at Saint Louis University will present Nermana Huskić with the 2025 Civic Courage Award for commitment to the civic values of respect, equality and pluralism that represent the best traditions of Bosnia-Herzegovina.
