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July 30, 2010 03:02 PM

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Public Opinion Poll Results on Fenway Park

Renovating Fenway Park versus Building a New Ballpark:

A Summary of recent surveys of public opinion
(Sources available from SAVE FENWAY PARK!, PO Box 15300, Boston, MA 02215
617-367-3771 www.savefenwaypark.com)

Item 1: May 17-18, 1999 scientific poll of 412 Massachusetts registered voters conducted by RKM Research and Communications conducted for and published by the Boston Herald (just after the Red Sox' media blitz earlier in May releasing their plan for a new ballpark). The poll found most respondents agreeing that "building a new ballpark for the Red Sox is a good idea." But, when asked their "preference for a new Red Sox ballpark," renovation of Fenway is preferred over building a new park by registered voters, by Red Sox fans, by all age groups, by those of all different levels of education, of different religious backgrounds, of all different income levels, of all different political party affiliations, of different political ideologies, and by those with and without children. Here's the breakdown:

"Preference for a new Red Sox ballpark"
	Renovate Fenway Park	Build a New Park
Registered Voters (412)	49%	31%
Red Sox Fans (276)	51%	39%
Attend Red Sox games (206)	52%	39%

Item 2: January 11-13, 1998 scientific survey of 400 Mass. registered voters commissioned by the Beacon Hill Institute at Suffolk University and conducted by Commonwealth Consulting Inc. asked the question: "If the Red Sox were to receive public funds for a stadium, should the funds be used to renovate Fenway Park or build a new stadium"?

58% preferred renovating Fenway
20% preferred a new stadium
21% offered no opinion

Overall Conclusion: "The poll shows that voters want their money to be spent on fixing Fenway.... Persons in all age groups, racial groups, educational levels and income levels overwhelming like Fenway."

Item 3: October, 1999 survey of membership by the Fenway Community Development Corporation found overwhelming support (85%) for the position statement: "The Fenway Community Development Corporation, the Fenway's largest membership organization, opposes the current proposal by the Boston Red Sox for construction of a new Fenway Park."

Item 4: November 5-11, 1999, Boston Phoenix, "Readers Choice": Save Fenway Park! is the "Best Local Cause."

Item 5: February 17 - March 1, 1999 scientific survey of 313 Massachusetts residents commissioned by Save Fenway Park! and conducted by trained volunteers. Project advisor was Louis Di Natale, McCormack Institute, UMass, Boston.

Main Findings:

To the question, "Should the Red Sox renovate and enhance Fenway Park or should they build a new park?:

	All Respondents	Voters	Have attended games recently
Renovate & Enhance Fenway	65%	65%	64%
Build a New Park	21%	23%	27%
Neither	3%	2%	3%
Don't Know/Don't Care	11%	10%	7%

To the question, "Do you support the use of any public money to build a new stadium for the Red Sox?":

Yes	No
27%	53%

To the question, "Do you support the use of any public money to renovate and expand Fenway Park?":

Yes	No
44%	38%

Also: 87% agreed that, "the residents of the Fenway neighborhood should have important input into the decision to build a new park or to renovate and enhance Fenway Park," while only 45% agreed that, "building a new stadium or renovating Fenway Park is a matter for the Red Sox to decide."

Item 6: October 1999 : MS NBC WEB SITE NAMES FENWAY PARK THE NUMBER ONE BALLPARK "Glorified by authors Roger Angell and John Updike, it is the most beloved ballpark in the American League. It is barely a nod ahead of Wrigley Field in Chicago." (Runners up: Wrigley Field, Jacob's Field, Camden Yards)

Item 7: Baseball America's Century Panel (made up of baseball writers and officials) names Fenway Park the 3rd best ballpark among those in service today reports Diehard Magazine, December, 1999. The Century Panel chose Wrigley Field as #1 and Camden Yards as #2.
In a ballot of readers, Fenway was ranked #1, followed by Wrigley Field, Yankee Stadium and Camden Yards: "The new oldest ballpark in the game has an unmatched atmosphere, both in and around the park, and the history and angst of 100 years is nearly tangible as you walk through the cramped corridors."

Item 8: Fenway Park Neighborhood Impact Survey of 150 residents of the Fenway carried out by the Fenway Community Development Corporation, May 1998:

Overall Conclusion:

54% prefer expanding the present park or leaving it as is
37% want the Red Sox to leave the neighborhood
9% favor the building of a new park

Item 9: January 14, 1999 survey by Channel 68 in Boston:

13% say the Red Sox should build a new park
74% say the Red Sox should renovate Fenway Park
12% say the Red Sox should leave the Fenway area

Item 10: Boston Globe (August, 1997) printed results of an Internet survey: 1,584 people responded to a Boston.com query from July 18, 1997 to August 6, 1997 about why they go to Red Sox games:

51.9% said they go primarily to see Fenway Park itself
31.5% go primarily to see the Red Sox
16.6% say they go primarily to see the visiting team

Item 11: University of Mass. McCormack Institute Poll: Taking the pulse of Massachusetts. Winter 1997

71% of electorate are opposed to using taxpayer money to help pay for a sports stadium
22% favor the use of tax money

Item 12: Boston Globe, April 25, 1995: Survey of Globe readers on whether the Red Sox should continue to play at Fenway Park or should build a new ballpark. Based on 113 responses:

58% (65) say modernize and stay at Fenway
42% (48) were in favor of a new stadium

Item 13: "Business Climate and Megaplex: A Survey of Voter Attitudes," John W. McCormack Institute of Public Affairs, 1995:

71% of electorate oppose state subsidies for a sports stadium
12% think the state should subsidize a sports stadium

Also: Red Sox Report, Issue 1, 1998 (the official publication of the Boston Red Sox)

"Despite all the competition, one attraction is far and away the leader in bringing tourists to Boston: 'Friendly Fenway.' Over the past several years, tradition-rich Fenway Park has averaged over 840,000 out-of-state visitors. Of those, over 110,000 spent at least one night in a hotel.....Amazingly, 200,000 fans come to Fenway Park each year from beyond New England, New York and New Jersey."