To mark the 10-year anniversary of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, London Sport commissioned a poll to better understand how the public and the grassroots sports & physical activity sector perceived the ‘legacy’ of the Games. Topics posed to these groups were wide ranging, from questions about local sporting facilities to perceptions of disabled athletes. The poll also asked questions about the cost of living crisis and how it is affecting people in London and across the UK. This report details the findings of the research, using survey data to make assumptions about those who have benefitted from the London 2012 Games.
We carried out separate surveys to explore varying perceptions amongst:
- UK and London-based adults via an independently commissioned Opinium poll (n=2000 and n=253 respectively).
- And key sport and physical activity sector representatives engaged with our organisation (n=48).
To complement this research, London Sport also reviewed London borough’s physical activity and deprivation levels from 2012 and compared them to the most recent statistics available. This research was conducted with the aim to understand if any of the boroughs, particularly the six 'London Growth Boroughs' (Barking and Dagenham, Greenwich, Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest – synonymous with the 2012 host boroughs), had seen a significant change in activity levels in the past decade.
Through a poll and various surveys, authors establish 3 key topic findings: (1) Impressions towards the legacy, (2) Participation in the London Growth Borough and (3) Impact of the rising cost of living. Mainly, contributors found that 66% of London adults agree that the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games has left a positive legacy. They discovered that 10 years after the Games the same demographic groups remain more likely to be inactive compared to the entire London adult population. They also find that 43% of London adults have cut back on all aspects of spend considered in the survey including sport and leisure aspects.
