Almost nine out of 10 people believe that the Olympics being on home soil has helped Britain’s athletes to their greatest performance for over 100 years.
A survey for Kantar.com, the research and polling experts, found that 89 per cent of the population thought that the patriotic home crowds had helped to boost the British tally to 22 gold medals.
The belief in the power of home advantage soared after the nation’s historic wins began, with over half as many Britons again deciding that their support had had an effect (57 per cent to 89 per cent - an increase of 56 per cent).
The study measured attitudes in the first week of the Games, before Britain’s gold rush began, and this week, as the medal haul began to eclipse that of Beijing.
Kantar.com has been measuring positive feelings since before the Games. Positive sentiment has jumped by almost half since 25th July 2012 due to a successful Opening Ceremony and strong performances across the sporting events.
Men initially thought that the home support was less of a factor than women did, with just 55 per cent of men and 58 per cent of women backing the idea.
But the gender divide has disappeared after Team GB’s success and 89 per cent of both sexes believe that the cheering is now having a positive effect.
The class divide has grown wider, however, with the middle class’s belief in the power of their support growing more than that of the working class.
This week, 91 per cent of ABC1s said the home Games had boosted performance, compared to 86 per cent of C2DEs. The figures last week were 58 per cent and 56 per cent respectively.
Last week, people aged 35 to 44 were the most positive about the effects of home support compared to this week, when those over 55 were most positive.
Dr Michelle Harrison, CEO of TNS BMRB, a Kantar company, said:
“The extra pressure of performing in front of a home crowd doesn’t seem to have affected our athletes, in fact, it looks like a virtuous circle, with each victory firing up the supporters who then encourage Team GB to new heights.
“Let’s hope that the medals keep rolling in.”
The poll was based on 13,473 responses and was undertaken for Kantar.com, the online hub for all of the research company Kantar’s data on life in Britain. The poll was conducted by LightSpeed Research, a Kantar company.
About Kantar
Please visit www.kantar.com for more information
8 August 2012
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