The emotional impact of the 2012 London Olympics

Did the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games change the way people see London? To answer this question we looked at what people said about London as a place to live, work or visit - their experiences and their expectations. Using social media research we compared opinions from three months before the Games and three months after to see if anything had changed. MAYOR OF LONDON Positive feelings I♥ LDN towards London increased by +12%. Overall, more people felt warmly about London in the period after the games (61% before rising to 73% after). Before After Living in London When it came to what people said about living in London, we saw an increase in positive feelings of: +12% 55% 67% Working Working, or thinking about working in London saw the biggest boost in warm feelings, increasing by: +18% 51% 69% Visiting As a group, visitors tend to be the most positive about London. These positive reactions became even more common after the Games, increasing by: +6% 78% 84% Why? Working When it comes to working in London, more people are have already decided they want to and Living curious Visiting After the Games people are fewer are scared or feel more proud and excited negatively about it. about Living in London, and more people want to give it a go. When it comes to visiting London, the message is simple, more people liked it. 1 3 Conclusion The ayor of London set out to deliver a successful Games and secure a viable and sustainable legacy. London This included showcasing London - maximising the opportunities to show London to the world as a place to live, visit, work, learn and invest. This study found a marked improvement in how people see London as a place to live, work or visit in the period after the Games. About the data About us This study is based on the qualitative analysis of over Listen & Learn Research is an alternative. 3,000 individual comments split evenly between the three months before (Apr-Jun) and the three We combine machine search with human understanding to months after the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The results were derived using social media research techniques. The full report from which this is based can be found at: help people gain insights from social media. We help people think differently and act differently by helping them see their world from a new, social perspective. www.london.gov.uk listenandlearnreasearch.com www. Listen & Learn To find out more LALResearch or get in touch: RESEARCH M [email protected] Design: stevenlester.com | City illustration: Marina Zlochin 2]