64% say Olympics will not be good for them; 48% says London was right to bid to host Games
With all things considered and with the benefit of hindsight, the majority of the British public feel that the 2012 Olympic Games will be good for London, but only around 1 in 5 say the Games will be good for people like them. Around 2 in 5 think London should not have bid to host the 2012 Games, our poll shows.
- The majority (64%) say that taking everything into account the Olympics will not be good for people like them, while 1 in 5 (20%) say the Olympics will be good for people like them
- 56% say the Olympic Games will be good for London, while 27% feel the Olympic Games will not be good for London
- 48% say London should have bid to host the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, but 2 in 5 (40%) say London should not have bid to host the Games
When considering the amount of interest invested into the London 2012 Games, more than half of Britons have said that they are not interested in the Olympics, and almost two thirds say they are not interested in the Paralympics.
- 53% are not interested in the Olympics this year (24% not very interested, 29% not at all interested)
- 44% are interested that the London Olympics are taking place (30% fairly interested, 14% very interested)
- The Paralympics are even less popular, with 62% not interested in the London 2012 Paralympics (30% not very interested, 32% not interested at all)
- Meanwhile, just over a third (34%) are interested in the London Paralympics (27% fairly interested, 7% very interested)
Inspiring young people?
Back in 2005 the London bid team centred its pitch on inspiring young people to get involved in sports and make life goals. Lord Sebastian Coe told the IOC: "Choose London today and you send a clear message to the youth of the world. It is a decision about which city will help us show a new generation why Olympic sport matters."
However, recent studies have shown that surprisingly few teenagers are enthused by the upcoming London Olympics, claiming that the Games won't motivate them to participate in more sport. Secondary school students interviewed at Bacon’s College in London, however, express their perception of the Games as something that should be embraced with gusto, with many young people involved in sport and sharing excitement for the events to take place in July and August this year.
New kit for Olympic athletes
Panellists were asked how they rate Stella McCartney's newly unveiled kit design for British competitors at the London Olympics. On a scale of 0 to 10, where 0 means very poor and 10 means very good, 6 was the average score, while 8/10 was the most popular.
- The average score when considering all votes was 6/10
- Under 1 in 20 respondents (8%) rated it 10/10
- The highest percentage of respondents rated the new kit 8/10 at 17%
- The second highest score was 7/10 at 16%
- 6% rated the outfits a disastrous 0/10
Sunderland footballer and official Olympic torch carrier Frazier Campbell has described the new kit as possessing a "feel-good factor" much the same as David Cameron's hopes for London 2012. The PM has expressed his hope that the mood of the nation will lift as the Games unfold, though it is not expected that the Games will do much to boost the economy.
See the full survey details and results here
