Mixed feelings about 2012 Games, survey reveals

Nearly four million UK adults are planning to avoid the Olympic Games next year by going abroad and two million will alter their holiday plans as a result of the event, according to a survey by PriceWaterhouseCoopers.

The study, of a representative sample of over 2,000 consumers exactly a year before the start of the Games, found that people have mixed views about the Olympics. Around four million will also stay in the UK specifically because of the Games.

The survey also found that only 37% of UK residents felt positively about the Olympics, although the number in London was 46%. However, only 48% of Londoners believe the event will have a positive impact on the economy, compared with 54% in the rest of the UK.

Of those surveyed, only 4% of the UK successfully purchased tickets, with only one in 10 Londoners managing to get their hands on the biggest ticketed event the country has seen in many years.

An average of £196.42 was spent by UK consumers who were successful in their ticket allocation, while the average for Londoners who managed to purchase tickets was £264.45.

PwC also commissioned a survey of over 500 managers of more than five employees, across a range of industry sectors, to assess attituded to how London 2012 Games will affect their business.

The majority, 63%, believe the Games will have little impact on their business, while 69% believe there will be a positive impact on the UK economy in the short term.

by Jeremy Skidmore