For some reason, baby boomers were big fans of women’s sports at the 2024 Paris Olympics, according to YouGov viewership data.

Men over 45 were significantly more likely to have seen more women’s sports at the Olympics than men. 70 percent of respondents said they saw more women’s competitions. Men over 65 were even more likely to prefer women’s sports. 73 percent of respondents said they saw more women’s competitions than men’s competitions over the course of the Games.

Men of all ages were more likely to watch men’s sports at the Olympics. 62 percent preferred male athletes, with the older groups being an exception. Women of all ages were significantly more likely to watch women’s sports. Only 19 percent said they watched more men’s sports than women’s sports.

The most popular sport among Americans watching the Olympics was swimming: 28% of viewers said it was the sport they enjoyed the most.

It was also the sport with the smallest gender gap in terms of viewership, with 28 percent of men and 29 percent of women saying it was their favorite sport.

The second most popular sport was artistic gymnastics, which 23 percent of U.S. viewers said was their favorite sport. Simone Biles, one of America’s most famous Olympians, competed in this category, which helped boost viewership for women’s gymnastics.

Artistic gymnastics was very popular among women and was the favorite sport for 32% of female spectators.

The third most popular sport overall was basketball. 21 percent of Americans said it was their favorite sport. Basketball was significantly more popular among men than women. 28 percent of men said it was their favorite sport, while only 15 percent of women said this.

Other popular sports included athletics, diving and beach volleyball, all of which were popular with more than 10 percent of spectators.

Age appeared to have little influence on the specific sport that spectators preferred; swimming and gymnastics remained the most popular among spectators over 65 years of age.

However, among older people, diving was just as popular as basketball: 21 percent of those over 65 said that both sports were their favorite.

The most popular men’s sports at the Olympics

The most popular sports among men were basketball, swimming, athletics, soccer and gymnastics (in that order).

About 28 percent of men said basketball and swimming were their favorite sports, 26 percent were athletics, 15 percent were soccer, and 13 percent were gymnastics.

The most popular sports for women at the Olympic Games?

Women preferred similar sports to men. Their favorites were artistic gymnastics, swimming, diving, athletics and rhythmic gymnastics – in that order.

Overall, 32 percent of women favored artistic gymnastics and 18 percent rhythmic gymnastics. About 19 percent named diving and athletics as their favorite sports and 29 percent named swimming.

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