Translated material
The main thing is victory, not participation
The Russians want the 2014 Winter Olympics to go to Sochi
Russians are well aware that Sochi has nominated itself to host the 2014 Winter Olympics, support this decision and rate the chances of the main Russian resort to win the Olympic race quite highly. Such conclusions can be drawn from a study by the All-Russian Center for the Study of Public Opinion. Moreover, the main Olympic optimists live in Moscow and St. Petersburg.The results of the VTsIOM study partly refute the words that the level of public support for the Olympics is insufficient, voiced at a recent press conference by Sochi Mayor Viktor Kolodyazhny.
The overwhelming majority of Russians (79%) are informed that Sochi is one of the three cities competing to host the 2014 Winter Olympics. Moreover, every third (36%) indicates that they are well aware of this. However, 20% of respondents first heard this information during the survey from the interviewer.
Men, as a rule, show more interest in sports competitions and, accordingly, are more aware of the success of the Sochi application than women (84 and 75%). The higher the level of education of the respondents, the higher the level of awareness (from 61% in the group with less than secondary education to 88% in the group with higher and incomplete higher education).
Holding the Olympics in Sochi is an event that is important for the whole country, for all our fellow citizens, according to almost two-thirds of those surveyed (63%). Only a fifth of respondents (19%) believe that obtaining the right to the 2014 Olympics is important only for residents of Sochi and the Krasnodar Territory. Another 12% do not see much sense in holding competitions either for the country or for Sochi itself. The last point of view is most common among residents of the Siberian and Far Eastern federal districts (27 and 22%, respectively).
Of the three contenders for hosting the 2014 Winter Olympics, which in addition to Sochi also includes Austrian Salzburg and South Korean Pyeongchang, Sochi has the best chance of becoming the Olympic capital, almost half of Russians (45%) believe. A quarter of respondents (24%) predict Salzburg to be successful. And only 7% consider Pyeongchang the strongest contender. Another 24% find it difficult to make a forecast. The majority of optimists who foresee a victory in Sochi are in Moscow and St. Petersburg - 61%.
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The all-Russian poll by VTsIOM was conducted on July 8-9, 2006. 1,600 people were surveyed in 153 settlements in 46 regions, territories and republics of Russia. The statistical error does not exceed 3.4%.