London 2012: Support 'high' among Londoners despite 'unfair' ticketing

About 57% of Londoners feel the ticket sales for the 2012 Olympics was "not fair", but this has not dented the support for the event being held in the city, an Ipsos survey for BBC London has found. Of the 1,000 people surveyed, 73% backed London hosting the Games, with 38% saying they felt "more positive" about the event now than in 2010. Almost seven out of 10 people said the event would benefit east London, the economy and improve sports facilities. But 52% people felt London's transport system would not be able to cope. The BBC-commissioned survey by Ipsos interviewed 1,000 adults living in London, by telephone, between 8 and 13 July. The survey, which was conducted after the results of the second ballot for tickets came through, showed people were disappointed with the process. About 31% bid for tickets in the first round, of which 2% got all their tickets but 67% were left empty-handed. Of those people who got some or none of the tickets in the first round, 31% tried their luck for a second time, but again more than half of them did not get any tickets. Following the two ballots, 57% said they felt the process was "not fair". But across the capital, support for the the Games has risen from 69% in 2006, a year after London won the bid to host the Olympics, remaining constant at 73% in 2010 and 2011.

About 65% of people said they were "very or fairly excited" about the Games, with the level of enthusiasm highest in the 18 to 34 age group.

• Download the poll topline (PDF)
• Download the full computer tables (PDF)

But the capital was split on the question of whether the event delivered value for money. On the capital's transport, 55% felt in 2010 that the system would not be able to cope with the pressure of handling tens of thousands of visitors during the Games fortnight. That figure stands at 52% this year. But almost seven out of 10 commuters said they would not change their daily travel plans just for the Games, although TfL are hoping for a 30% drop in commuters. About one in five Londoners said they planned to leave the city during the Olympics, with 47% of those saying they wanted "to avoid the Olympics". The survey also found that just under half the people interviewed hardly knew anything about the Cultural Olympiad - a series of cultural events that have been taking place across the country until the Games. The survey suggested that despite scepticism people in the capital were beginning to see the benefits of Games, and 67% felt London's mayor and the government were doing a "fairly good job" in preparing for the event.

About seven out of 10 people said the regeneration of east London and the benefits to the economy justified the money being spent on the Olympics, while more than 60% felt the Games would boost tourism, improve sport facilities and increase jobs and was "good for Britain generally".

A spokesperson for Ipsos said:

“Increased publicity with the Games just a year away seems to have led  to an increase in public support, although there are continuing concerns over transport. London’s transport system has been a key issue for years and general disruption linked to the Games is a real concern.  So far however, government is seen as doing better on managing the games than many other issues – and they may well give both Boris Johnson and indeed David Cameron, a summer boost next year.” 

Technical note

Between 8th and 13th July, 2011, Ipsos interviewed 1,000 adults aged 18+ living in London, by telephone.

The results of previous surveys, in 2006 and 2010, conducted by the same methodology, are given where there are identical questions.

Data are weighted to match the profile of the London adult population. Where results do not sum to 100%, this may be due to multiple responses, computer rounding the decimal points up or down or to the exclusion of don’t know, refused or not stated responses.

Results are percentages based on all 1,000 respondents unless stated otherwise. An asterisk (*) represents a value of less than one half of one percent, but above zero.