SALT LAKE CITY – A new poll indicates that a majority of Utahns believe the state benefited from hosting the Winter Olympics in 2002 and would support a bid by Utah to host future Olympic games.
According to a poll conducted through a partnership between Dan Jones & Associates and the David Eccles School of Business, 92 percent of Utahns believe the state benefited from hosting the games in 2002 and 82 percent said they would support a bid to host future games.
A press release from school of business states that the Utah Olympic Exploratory Committee, guided by Gov. Gary Herbert, recommended unanimously that Salt Lake City pursue a bid for the 2026 Olympics, if the U.S. Olympic Committee should bid.
“Residents can see what Utah gained from hosting in 2002,” Doctor Dan Jones stated in the press release. “The Games spurred the development of Utah’s infrastructure. We have Olympic-ready facilities along the Wasatch Front, and positive media exposure has bolstered tourism growth and the overall state economy.”
Of the responders, 46 percent said they would “strongly support” a future bid for bringing the games back to Salt Lake City while 36 percent would “support” such an effort. Eleven percent of respondents said they neither supported nor opposed such a bid, while 6 percent said they would oppose Salt Lake City’s bid to host the Olympics.
In the poll, 47 percent of respondents said the state “strongly benefited” from hosting the games in 2002 while 45 percent said the state “benefited.” Six percent said the state was neither benefited nor hurt by the games, and 1 percent said the state was “hurt” by hosting the games.
The poll was conducted January 23 to January 25.
