United in defeat: shared suffering and group bonding among football fans

A new study by Martha Newson, Michael Buhrmester and Harvey Whitehouse (of the Centre for the Study of Social Cohesion, CSSC, and the University of Kent) has revealed evidence that 'the least successful clubs have the most committed fans'.

You can access the study here.

Martha has discussed the findings in The Conversation: 'When football clubs are less successful, fans are more loyal to each other'.

The Telegraph published an article on the study on 20 January 2021, entitled 'Shared 'suffering' by fans of the worst Premier League teams creates 'strong social glue'.