{"id":49085,"date":"2014-02-04T09:47:37","date_gmt":"2014-02-04T14:47:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/2014\/02\/04\/public-skeptical-of-decision-to-hold-olympic-games-in-russia\/"},"modified":"2024-04-14T04:10:26","modified_gmt":"2024-04-14T09:10:26","slug":"public-skeptical-of-decision-to-hold-olympic-games-in-russia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/2014\/02\/04\/public-skeptical-of-decision-to-hold-olympic-games-in-russia\/","title":{"rendered":"Public Skeptical of Decision to Hold Olympic Games in Russia"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n
\"Security<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/h2>\n\n

Survey Report\n

\"Security<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n\n

With the 2014 Winter Olympics approaching, more say it was a bad decision (44%) than a good decision (32%) to hold the games in Russia. About one-in-four (24%) say they don\u2019t know.<\/p>\n\n

Concerns about terrorism and safety are foremost among those who think it was a bad decision to hold the Olympics in Russia. In an open-ended question, 62% of those who say it was a bad decision to hold the Winter Olympics in Russia mention terrorism or general security in Sochi as a reason they feel this way.<\/p>\n\n

\"Most<\/a><\/figure>\n\n

Far fewer (5%) mention the Russian government or President Vladimir Putin as reasons why it was a bad decision to hold the games there, while 4% say Russia\u2019s treatment of gays and lesbians make the country a bad choice to host the games.<\/p>\n\n

Most adults are planning to watch either \u201ca lot\u201d (18%) or some (37%) of the Olympics, according to the new national survey by the Pew Research Center, conducted Jan. 30-Feb. 2 among 1,003 adults. About one-in-four adults (26%) say they plan to watch \u201cvery little\u201d and 19% say they will not watch at all. Nearly one-in-four of those 50 and older (23%) plan to watch a lot, compared with 14% of those younger than 50.<\/p>\n\n

Young adults stand out in their support of Russia\u2019s hosting of the Olympics. Among adults ages 18-29, about twice as many say it was a \u201cgood decision\u201d as a \u201cbad decision\u201d to hold the Winter Olympics in Russia \u2013 49% vs. 25%. By contrast, a 55% majority of adults 50 and older say it was a bad decision, compared with about one-in-four (24%) saying it was a good decision.\u00a0Among adults ages 30-49, 42% say it was a bad decision and 33% say it was a good decision.<\/p>\n\n

Across all demographic groups, concerns about terrorism and safety are dominant among those who think it was a bad decision to hold the Olympics in Russia. Seven-in-ten Republicans (70%) and 63% of Democrats who said it was a bad decision cite concerns about security.\u00a0And 7% of Democrats and 2% of Republicans mention Russia\u2019s policies toward gays and lesbians as a reason it was a bad decision.<\/p>\n\n

In 2008, opinions about hosting the Summer Olympics in China changed over time and became more positive as the games began. In a survey four months before the event, the public was evenly divided about whether it was a good idea to hold the Summer Olympics in China (41% good, 43% bad). But during the games\u2019 opening weekend<\/a>, more viewed the decision to hold the games in China as good than bad (52% good, 31% bad).<\/p>\n\n

The Week\u2019s News<\/h3>\n\n
\"Winter<\/a><\/figure>\n\n

One-in-five (20%) closely followed the State of the Union last week, down from 26% last year and the lowest news interest during Obama\u2019s tenure. (By comparison, 24% of the public followed George W. Bush\u2019s 2006 State of the Union address to start his sixth year in office.) Twice as many Democrats (33%) as Republicans (16%) and independents (15%) followed Obama\u2019s speech closely.<\/p>\n\n

Cold winter weather in much of the country was the most f0llowed news story of the week, with nearly four-in-ten (38%) saying they paid very close attention. People living in the South (45%), the Northeast and the Midwest (42% each) were much more likely than those in the West (21%) to closely follow news about the cold weather.<\/p>\n\n

About three-in-ten (29%) closely followed news about the economy last week. The Super Bowl was closely followed by 23%, which is roughly equal to interest in past years. An additional 17% closely followed debate over immigration policy in the U.S., while about one-in-ten (9%) paid close attention to preparations for the Olympics.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Survey Report With the 2014 Winter Olympics approaching, more say it was a bad decision (44%) than a good decision (32%) to hold the games in Russia. About one-in-four (24%) say they don\u2019t know. Concerns about terrorism and safety are foremost among those who think it was a bad decision to hold the Olympics in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":64,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sub_headline":"Terrorism and Security Drive 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