Responses: 58

Fans were polled on their stadium opinions as the Chicago Bears are still deciding on their future stadium location. Although a significant number of people want the Bears to stay in Chicago, it seems as though the Bears have shut that down. I still included Chicago as an option in some of the questions just to take the temperature. The sample size is relatively small so keep that in mind when reading. With that said, I appreciate the participation, so thank you!

I also want to share that this survey was sent out at the end of February, and most responses came in around that time. These results reflect how participants felt towards the end of February 2026, and although fans have not recieved any major update, these responses may be slightly different if fans were asked in April. Still, I believe these responses largely still apply to how these respondents feel because there has not been much new stadium information since the end of February.

What emotion best describes your mood towards the current stadium issue?

The emotion cited the most amongst fans regarding the stadium was “Frustrated”, at about 35%. The next three most cited responses were:

• Embarrassed; 22.4%
• Hopeful; 17.2%
• Confused; 8.6%

Other emotions cited by fans were:

• Annoyed
• Not interested; Indifferent
• Pissed; Angry
• Confident
• Exhausted
• Impatient

Where do you prefer the Bears build their stadium?
This question included Chicago as an option, even though it does not seem likely to happen. Later, I ask fans about where they would want the stadium, excluding Chicago.

Almost half of the participants (47%) voted to keep the stadium in Chicago. About 35% voted for Arlington Heights, and about 7% of fans want the stadium in Northwest Indiana. Some other answers included:

• “Anywhere in Illinois”
• “Doesnt matter”; “Dont care”
• “In Chicago, but won’t be too upset with AH. Livid and abandoned of moved to Indiana”.
• “No rebuild; renovate or buy Soldier Field”

Although I do not think Chicago is an option anymore, I would be pleasantly surprised if that changed and if they were able to make something work on the lakefront. I am not surprised that about half of the fans would prefer the stadium stay in the city.

Where do you THINK the Bears will build their stadium?

When asked where fans think the Bears will build their stadium, the answers certainly shifted a significant amount. Most answers fell into three options:

• Arlington Heights; 65.5%
• Northwest Indiana; 20.7%
• Chicago; 5.2%

I wish that I was charting this same response over time to see how it changes monthly. In the future, that is something that I will be able to do with different topics is measure change in perception over time. Most fans believe the stadium will be built in Arlington Heights, but the longer this goes on, the more of a chance Indiana might have. Some other responses included:

• “They’re going to do something really dumb and move to michigan at this point”.
• “Who the hell knows? Highest fleece of the taxpayer I assume.(Illinois resident outside oflocal coverage, streaming games are behind a pay. They want my tax money! Ya right!…”.
• “Texas”

I would be very curious to hear more about where this Texas idea is coming from.

If Chicago is not an option; which stadium site do you prefer?

Fans were asked to predict the stadium site if Chicago is not an option. Below are the responses:

• Arlington Heights; 77.6%
• Northwest Indiana; 12.1%

Fans seem pretty confident that the stadium will end up in Arlington Heights. Now, these responses were submitted a few weeks ago, so I wonder if these percentages would be different right now. Not that there has been much new information. Below are some additional responses:

• “St. Louis”
• “Leave”
• “Iowa”
• “Either is fine by me”

Again, I would love to hear more about these ideas some fans are throwing out there.

If you would like to say anything to any of the parties involved here, what would you say?

Fans were asked to give a message to any party involved in this stadium situation, whether it’s the Bears, the government, or anyone else. Below are some of the responses:

“Use land that is waste. Don’t use park land”.

“You’re going to take the best deal for the family, George. Let’s not act like you have pride in this city when it comes to the team”.

“Don’t ruin the Bears legacy in Illinois. Virginia and Papa Bear would be ashamed”.

“You have the money to finance all of it. You will make more money and have more power over your property if you pay for it on your own. The city, state, and fans will reward you with 100 years of loyalty if you pay it on your own. Your money will 10 fold if you pay for it on your own. Indiana is trashy, smelly, dirty, and far. Spare me with the narrative that it is 22 minutes away. You and I both know that’s not true”.

“The bears have been in Chicago for over 100 years. Your stewards of a legacy not owners of a team”.

“This lifelong 46 yr old fan will be done with the Bears if they leave IL”.

“Just build somewhere”.

“The Illinois government over the stadium issue is a joke, and fire Kevin Warren”.

“Bears ownership needs to step up or sell the team. They cant run this team like they did in the 60s and 70s”.

“Billionaire owners don’t need tax money for the sports team they own”.

“Illinois is hopelessly corrupt”.

“Get it done and make the mccaskeys sell the team”.

“Arlington heights is the answer. Most actual bears fans are there”.

“Parking! Parking! Parking!”

“Things outside city limits are not Chicago and no amount of “Chicago metropolitan area” will change that”.

“They are trashing all the good will from the last season”.

“No subsidies for billionaire sports owners. The Bears already have a stadium in Chicago”.

“I’m proud of the Chicago & Illinois legislatures holding their ground. I hate how many media outlets have bought the propaganda that the Bears are peddling. I’m disappointed but not surprised that the Bears organization wants to have their cake (owning their own stadium outright) and eat it too (having the city pay for a large portion of the new stadium). I truly hope the public realizes what the Bears are trying to get away with and that they stop blaming the Chicago & Illinois politicians for a problem actually created by the greed of the Bears organization. I’m also incredibly upset that this is happening now when all the public discourse should be on how good our team is getting. I’m afraid that Bears management is bringing the billy goat to the team with their greed and propaganda”.

“The fact that we’re entertaining moving to such a rundown area is an embarrassment”.

“Illinois politicians: a failure to lead has led to the risk of losing a cultural pillar of not only the city, but the state. Losing the bears solely because you failed to prioritize the long-term benefit to the state as opposed to the short-term political boost of saying you wouldn’t utilize any taxpayer funds is a colossal misstep. This mistake echoes a prior shortsighted choice to sell off Chicago parking spaces to exterior influences, losing the city tremendous revenue. Astounding mismanagement all around”.

“Extremely disappointed in the Bears. I live outside the city and not allowed to see all games (streaming, behind pay wall). They now want my tax money? Good bye and good riddance. wall. They are showing zero respect for fans that have stuck with them all these miserable seasons. Bye!”

“Good parking/tailgating scene is more important than the zip code”.

“TBears org needs to show some loyalty to their fans and their city”.

“They need to be using a scalpel not a sledgehammer”.

“If our team is moved to a red state for a better deal to benefit billionaires, I will no longer follow the team”.

“I suppose to Kevin Warren. How do you still have a job?”

“You’re a 5 billinon franchise Bears, with a long suffering fan base! Do the right thing for once!”

“I hope that the decision-makers prioritize the community’s wishes and choose a location that respects the fans and the city’s legacy”.

“Serve the fans, the politicians are greedy, and Kevin Warren is just pissing people off”

One thing is for certain, I am looking forward to this saga being over! It has definitely been an interesting topic to debate, but it is so drawn out by now!

As always, Bear Down!