this would suggest that even listing players has a massive effect on this rating.
I knew it had an effect, but half a star! das poor!
Looking at it logically its quite reasonable for listing players to have an effect. They're for sale so there's a fear they'll be sold, whether there's an actual sale or not. And the question in the fan survey is "I am familiar with the star players, and am not afraid that they will be transferred." So fans seeing a player on the market knows he's for sale, so their fear is understandable.
My rating in that particular area of the survey is also half a ball. My overall rating is 5 balls, so my fans' fear doesn't seem to be making them unhappy.