In the fourth month of our Olympic mood tracker, results are mostly stable, although there has been a drop in those who think the Games will be good for Britain. This might just be reflective of our typically muted British outlook; although pride and excitement are strong, we’re not exactly jumping up and down, flying the Union Jack from our rooftops. Nobody would believe we were true Brits if we got too excited, after all…
We are as proud of Britishness as we were this time last month with a negligible drop of 0.05. Pride is generally buoyant across the board, with results of at least 7 for every demographic. And if we look back to February, we can see that at population level, pride has actually risen by 0.28.
Pride amongst the over 55’s, however, has risen to 8.26, an all-time high across all demographics. It is likely that the older generation’s pride has been pumped by the upcoming Jubilee. Having lived through more of Queen Elizabeth’s reign than their younger counterparts, these people have greater respect for her. In fact, JWT research carried out for the Royal Wedding last year showed that 84% of those over the age of 60 respect the Queen, higher than all other age groups.
Despite the passing of the 100 day countdown and the launch of the torch relay, Britain’s excitement about the Olympics has not been further ignited, staying steady at 44%. After all, we are the nation of the underwhelmed, notoriously difficult to rouse, and flippant about even the most momentous events. So what will it take to get Brits enthused? And will excitement ever climb past 50%? A typically British response would be: *shrug*.
There has, however, been a slight increase in excitement amongst men, from 41% to 45%. They could be gradually gearing up for a big summer of sport, with not only the Olympics, but the Euro 2012 tournament to satisfy their appetites. On the flipside, the prospect of nothing but sport on our TV screens all summer could be driving the decline in some women’s enthusiasm: those who agree strongly that they are excited about the Olympics have fallen from 21% in February to just 12% this month.
The feeling that the Olympics will be good for Britain is somewhat on the wane. This month, 6% fewer people agree that the games will benefit us. Perhaps they are bitter about the latest release of tickets; once again it spelled disappointment for many. In fact, The Mirror reported recently that 76% of Britons think the ticket sales were mismanaged from the start. Resentment has been mounting with each ticket release as fans have been consistently assured that they would have priority in the next round, but continue to feel frustrated and side-lined in the process.
Regionally opinion in the South has changed most this month. Whereas in April 66% agreed that it was positive, this month only 56% agree. It is possible that the change is down to the ramping up of public information campaigns, warning locals of the disruption that they should anticipate during August. The reality of the inconvenience is perhaps beginning to dawn on Southerners.
On the whole it’s been a fairly peaceful month in terms of our Olympic mood. There was no uptick in pride as we expected, but perhaps the double Bank Holiday will perk us up next month. Watch this space…
Click here for April’s Olympic Mood Tracker
Note: JWT surveyed 350 British citizens in May 2012. Regional samples have been weighted to be nationally representative.
Survey questions:
1. On a scale of 1-10 (where 1=not at all proud and 10=extremely proud) can you tell us how proud you are to be British?
2. How far would you agree that you are excited about the Olympic Games this Summer?
3. How far do you agree that the Olympic Games will be good for Britain?