Opening ceremony triggers wave of Olympic support – but businesses in trouble

By

Danny Boyle's well-received opening ceremony has triggered a wave of public support for the London Olympic Games, a new poll suggests.

The ComRes poll for the Independent shows the number of people saying the Games would be worth their £9.3 billion cost shot up ten per cent after the opening ceremony on Friday night.

But businesses are reporting a drop in trade, with fewer tourists and many locals escaping the capital.

In March, just 40% backed the statement, with 51% disagreeing. Following Friday night's event, that figure rose to 50% in support with 42% disagreeing.

The poll comes as praise continues to be heaped on controversial film director Boyle for a witty and unexpected opening ceremony which included highlights as diverse as Shakespeare, Bow-raised rapper Dizzee Rascal and Paul McCartney.

The staggered timing of the polling shows how the 'feelgood' factor of the opening ceremony boosted support for the Games.

When respondents were asked if the Olympics were worth the money on Friday, before the ceremony, just 43% agreed.

After 21:00 BST, when the ceremony began, 53% agreed. By Sunday, 57% agreed.

There were concerns about reduced retail activity in the capital, however. The poll showed that tourism is actually down due to the Olympics – with just 100,000 visiting London compared to the usual 300,000.

Many local Londoners have left the city to escape the event. This morning, a group on Portobello Market wrote: "The Olympics has started, but business down Portobello Road Market has never been worse! The locals have disappeared and the tourist........ well? What is happening?"

Meanwhile, French president Francois Hollande, who has a turbulent relationship with David Cameron, highlighted the ongoing row over emtpy seats at the stadium.

"The problem is that there are simply too many corporate seats. It will be up to French organisers to sort out this problem if a bid for a future games is to be successful," he said.

"We don't talk of money, we talk of gold."

 

Political news to your inbox

Fill in your details to receive Politics.co.uk's brand of informed, in-depth and independent coverage of Westminster to your inbox

Hot topics

The Heathrow third runway debate

The UK falls behind in air capacity... but is the flight race worth the effort?

Is Heathrow's third runway the slowest U-turn of all time? Politics.co.uk looks at the issue no government dares to touch.

Britain's great energy debate

Turning up the temperature: Standard of living and action on climate change don't make easy bedfellows

Can you tackle climate change without ruining our quality of life? Politics.co.uk takes an in-depth look at an issue with no easy solutions.

Opinion Former Events

Bpas event: Working Together for Women

Join bpas for an informal networking event which will provide an opportunity to talk to others looking to work together to effect policy changes to improve women’s lives and hear from speakers who are doing just that.