A new poll by Angus Reid finds most Canadians are proud to watch their nation's athletes compete at the Olympics, but most would rather Canada not be the host.The survey released August 8 finds nine-in-ten (87%) Canadians watching the Olympics like to cheer for fellow citizens. However, just 31% want the major city closest to them bid for the games. Most who object (79%) believe the cost of hosting the games outweigh the benefit (see detailed tables). Reportedly, when just looking at operating expenses, the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver broke even.Most Canadians agree they feel a sense of pride when they see a Canadian athlete competing in Paris, especially older Canadians. Men under 55 are the most likely to disagree.Nearly all (98%) of those who say they are interested or very interested in the Paris Olympics say they are proud to see athletes from their country compete; fewer (64%) of those who are not at all interested agree..Seven-in-ten (69%) say the Olympic games have become more about sponsorships than athletic competitions. Notably, this sentiment is less common among those who describe themselves as “very interested” in the Olympics (45%) than those who say they are not interested at all (84%).Canada’s own Olympic journey started off on the wrong foot with the news that an assistant coach for the women’s soccer team was caught spying on an opposing team with a drone, in what apparently was an institutional practice dating back years. Most Canadians call this scandal, whether for the nation (42%) or just Canada’s soccer federation (38%). Few (12%) believe it’s no big deal for either.Canada’s women’s team survived a six-point deduction only to be eliminated in the quarterfinals as the players appeared to use the allegations of cheating as bulletin board material to inspire their performance. Most Canadians believe the players themselves weren’t to blame for this scandal, instead laying it on the coaching staff (53%) or more specifically, head coach Bev Priestman (43%), who was sent home from the Olympics.Besides the suspension of Priestman and two other assistant coaches, Canada was deducted six points from their total during the group stage of the competition, the equivalent of two wins and forcing the team to win all three group stage games to qualify for the knockout rounds. Near equal sized groups call the punishment “fair” (33%) and “a little too harsh” (30%), while one-in-five believe it went way too far (20%).More than two-in-five (45%) 18- to 34-year-old men believe the punishment fit the scandal, the most of any age group. Older Canadians are more likely than others to say the punishment was “too harsh”.As these Paris summer Olympic games near their conclusion, half (52%) of Canadians say they are interested in the games, while the rest (48%) are not. Older Canadians are more likely to report interest than younger ones. Canadians agree that scandals (78%) and corporate sponsorships (69%) have taken away from what the Olympics should be about – the athletes..The poll was conducted online survey from July 31 – Aug. 2, 2024 among a representative randomized sample of 1,609 Canadian adults who are members of Angus Reid Forum. For comparison purposes only, a probability sample of this size would carry a margin of error of +/- 2 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
A new poll by Angus Reid finds most Canadians are proud to watch their nation's athletes compete at the Olympics, but most would rather Canada not be the host.The survey released August 8 finds nine-in-ten (87%) Canadians watching the Olympics like to cheer for fellow citizens. However, just 31% want the major city closest to them bid for the games. Most who object (79%) believe the cost of hosting the games outweigh the benefit (see detailed tables). Reportedly, when just looking at operating expenses, the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver broke even.Most Canadians agree they feel a sense of pride when they see a Canadian athlete competing in Paris, especially older Canadians. Men under 55 are the most likely to disagree.Nearly all (98%) of those who say they are interested or very interested in the Paris Olympics say they are proud to see athletes from their country compete; fewer (64%) of those who are not at all interested agree..Seven-in-ten (69%) say the Olympic games have become more about sponsorships than athletic competitions. Notably, this sentiment is less common among those who describe themselves as “very interested” in the Olympics (45%) than those who say they are not interested at all (84%).Canada’s own Olympic journey started off on the wrong foot with the news that an assistant coach for the women’s soccer team was caught spying on an opposing team with a drone, in what apparently was an institutional practice dating back years. Most Canadians call this scandal, whether for the nation (42%) or just Canada’s soccer federation (38%). Few (12%) believe it’s no big deal for either.Canada’s women’s team survived a six-point deduction only to be eliminated in the quarterfinals as the players appeared to use the allegations of cheating as bulletin board material to inspire their performance. Most Canadians believe the players themselves weren’t to blame for this scandal, instead laying it on the coaching staff (53%) or more specifically, head coach Bev Priestman (43%), who was sent home from the Olympics.Besides the suspension of Priestman and two other assistant coaches, Canada was deducted six points from their total during the group stage of the competition, the equivalent of two wins and forcing the team to win all three group stage games to qualify for the knockout rounds. Near equal sized groups call the punishment “fair” (33%) and “a little too harsh” (30%), while one-in-five believe it went way too far (20%).More than two-in-five (45%) 18- to 34-year-old men believe the punishment fit the scandal, the most of any age group. Older Canadians are more likely than others to say the punishment was “too harsh”.As these Paris summer Olympic games near their conclusion, half (52%) of Canadians say they are interested in the games, while the rest (48%) are not. Older Canadians are more likely to report interest than younger ones. Canadians agree that scandals (78%) and corporate sponsorships (69%) have taken away from what the Olympics should be about – the athletes..The poll was conducted online survey from July 31 – Aug. 2, 2024 among a representative randomized sample of 1,609 Canadian adults who are members of Angus Reid Forum. For comparison purposes only, a probability sample of this size would carry a margin of error of +/- 2 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
