Deep See Olympics Survey

Over 40% think athletics, rowing, swimming and diving are the next most likely events in which Team GB will win gold, with a further third expecting victory in the sailing discipline.

However, in contrast to these medal expectations, people are most excited personally by a different list. Athletics is head and shoulders above other sports to capture the British imagination, with 50% of the population excited about them, followed by  39% with swimming, then cycling and gymnastics at  34% and 32% resp. Handball and water polo are the least favoured sports, both polling only 5%.

Deep See, the consumer market research and intelligence company of business-to-business market intelligence specialist, B2B International, conducted an online survey* over last weekend to gauge public mood with a week to go to the Games.

Patriotism shines through, as most people would be most excited seeing any final with a British competitor (26%) ahead of the opening ceremony (22%) and the showpiece 100m men’s sprint final (17%).

It looks like Danny Boyle’s opening ceremony on Friday will be watched by two thirds of the nation (23% saying they will ‘possibly’ or ‘definitely’ not be watching), and of those viewing, three quarters will be watching at home and two thirds with family.

However, only 56% of people are excited about the Olympics
The findings suggest a lack of excitement about the event, to the extent that over three quarters of the population say they have not applied for, or purchased, tickets.  The mood was one of ambivalence about the Games, especially away from the capital. The nearer you live to London, the more excited and more likely you are to have purchased tickets. The research gauged views from around the country – 87% nationally and 13% from Greater London.

Attendance
11% of those questioned plan to attend the Olympics with 17% unsure, even at this late stage; 72% are definitely not attending. Nearly a quarter of Londoners are planning to attend compared with only 9% nationally. Half of those attending will visit the Olympic stadium and a further quarter at other venues at the Olympic Park.  

Security
With security a recent hot topic, it turns out that Londoners are more confident about the security situation than the rest of the country, with 42% saying they are confident or very confident, compared to 35% of people outside London. However, 23% of Londoners feel the Games are not well prepared in terms of security – though they are more optimistic than the rest of the country (30%). Around 40% of respondents feel it is necessary to have the installation of surface-to-air missiles at locations around London, with 30% considering it unnecessary.

Travel
There has been much talk recently of travel disruption and chaos during the Games. Two thirds of the population do not plan to travel to London in this period – the majority of these (72%) are from outside the capital. For working Londoners, 20% will change travel habits – 51% plan to go in earlier and 38% will work from home.

Advertising
Despite the furore surrounding sponsorship of the Games, the amount of advertising is seen as favourable, with 59% judging it about right and only a third considering there to be too much. An overwhelming 87% recalled seeing an increase in Olympics advertising on television, followed by newspapers (36%), internet (28%), outdoor (25%) and in-store (22%).

To conclude on a positive note, whilst a third of people are unsure if the Games will be remembered well, half think the legacy will be viewed in a good light.

*Online survey of 1068 respondents with a nationally representative sample

About Deep See
For more information please visit www.deepseeresearch.com

27 July 2012