Tuesday 28 May 2002
On the eve of the 2002 World Cup, a MORI survey commissioned by Thresher explores the public's understanding of football's main rules.
In a survey of nearly 2,000 people, 79% of men and 42% of women questioned claimed to know the Offside rule, while 86% of men and 54% of women say they can define a corner. Two thirds of women (63%) say they understand what constitutes a penalty (versus 89% men), and almost half (47%) a throw in (versus 84% men).
The survey also established that David Beckham is people's top choice to take a penalty for England, with nearly half (46%) choosing him over striker Michael Owen (31%).
Technical details
The MORI survey interviewed 1880 adults aged 18+, face-to-face, across England and Scotland between 2-7 May 2002.
Topline Results
Q1 Please tell me which, if any, of these football rules you fully understand.
| | Total | Men | Women |
|---|
| | % | % | % |
|---|
| Penalty | 75 | 89 | 63 |
| Corner | 70 | 86 | 54 |
| Throw In | 65 | 84 | 47 |
| Offside | 60 | 79 | 42 |
| Golden Goal | 46 | 69 | 25 |
| Indirect Free Kick | 46 | 71 | 21 |
| None | 19 | 8 | 28 |
| Don't know | 2 | 1 | 2 |
Q2 Which, if any one, of these football players would you pick as your favourite to take a key penalty for England in the World Cup?
| | % |
|---|
| David Beckham | 46 |
| Michael Owen | 31 |
| Paul Scholes | 3 |
| Steven Gerrard | 1 |
| David Seaman | 1 |
| Emile Heskey | 1 |
| Rio Ferdinand | 1 |
| Gary Neville | 1 |
| Darrius Vassell | 0 |
| Joe Cole | 0 |
| Other | 1 |
| None of these | 5 |
| Don't know | 9 |