| Salt Lake City |
 |
 |
| GER |
12 |
16 |
7 |
35 |
 |
| USA |
10 |
13 |
11 |
34 |
|
| NOR |
11 |
7 |
6 |
24 |
|
| CAN |
6 |
3 |
8 |
17 |
|
| RUS |
6 |
6 |
4 |
16 |
|
| AUT |
2 |
4 |
10 |
16 |
|
| ITA |
4 |
4 |
4 |
12 |
|
| FRA |
4 |
5 |
2 |
11 |
|
| SUI |
3 |
2 |
6 |
11 |
|
| NED |
3 |
5 |
0 |
8 |
|
|
|
|
Great Games: Utahns and visitors alike offer rave reviews
By Lucinda Dillon Kinkead
Deseret News staff writer
© 2002 Deseret News
Gov. Mike Leavitt's chief media person received a call from a New York Times reporter Thursday.
The reporter needed a Utah state office number, which spokeswoman Natalie Gochnour quickly provided. "Thanks," the reporter said. "And, great Games, by the way."
Rave reviews are rolling in about the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City — and a new Deseret News-KSL poll conducted by Dan Jones & Associates shows a stunning percentage of Utahns and out-of-state visitors give Salt Lake the thumbs up for the way it is hosting the Games.
"It's been excellent," said Toni Mertin, who lives in Sugar House and has soaked up the Olympic spirit by attending some events but also hanging out on the free fringes.
Nearly everyone interviewed for the poll agreed with Mertin.
Sixty-seven percent of Utahns described their Olympic experience as "excellent." Another 29 percent said they'd had a "good" experience while 3 percent reported only a "fair" time. One percent of people called their Games-time experience "poor."
And 96 percent of Utahns surveyed shared the sentiments of Scott Barker, who is pleased Utah is the host city.
"My only complaint is that they don't last twice as long," said Barker, a Draper resident who has gone to numerous events with his wife and daughter.
"Between the events, the medals plaza concerts and everything else going on . . .," he said. "It's exhausting trying to get to everything we want to see and experience."
Salt Lake Organizing President Mitt Romney said the poll numbers match feedback he's receiving from all sides.
On the street, people stop Romney to congratulate him.
"The Games have been fabulous," Romney said Thursday after hearing the poll results. "They have far exceeded my expectations."
"One of the other big things is that athletes are responding well," said Caroline Shaw, SLOC spokeswoman. "We meet with the athletes commission every day, and they are giving us rave reviews."
Pollsters interviewed 428 people attending various Olympic sporting and cultural activities. About half were Utah residents, and half were visitors from out of state.
More than half of the visitors described their Olympic experience in the first week as "excellent." Another 34 percent said their experience had been "good." Seven percent said they'd had a "fair" time so far, and only 1 percent said they were having a poor experience.
Another poll question posed this week asked Utah residents: "Given all that Utahns have been through to host the Games, do you feel it is worth it?" Sixty-four percent said "definitely," while 27 percent said it was "probably" worth it.
Leavitt called the poll numbers gratifying. "We've received a lot of compliments that get us through Day Seven," he said.
He acknowledged what he calls "Team 2002," the hundreds of Olympic volunteers and Salt Lake Organizing Committee staffers as well as transportation and public safety officials who have kept things on track.
The polling public has been a fickle beast in years leading up to the Games.
- 1993: Polls measured the highest level of support — 73 percent — before the Olympic bribery scandal.
- December 1998: In the wake of the bribery scandal, the level of Games support dropped to 55 percent.
- April 2001: 76 percent of Utahns said they don't plan to attend 2002 Winter Games events at all.
- October 2001: Exactly 100 days away from the Games, Utahns know little about the party the state is set to host. Fewer than one in four Utahns can identify three ski resorts hosting skiing and snowboarding competitions (Deer Valley, Park City and Snowbasin) and only 26 percent can identify the Delta Center as the venue for the wildly popular figure skating events.
But another poll conducted just before the Games began showed public support growing for the international event.
That survey found 63 percent of residents statewide definitely or probably favored the city taking on the Olympics again, should the opportunity arise.
And now, with one week under its belt, local support is through the roof. This week's numbers surprised even pollster Jones. "They're much more positive than I thought they would be with the scandal and everything," he said.
Polling after the event is over should be revealing, too.
"What we have here is people who've attended the events, and they are clearly very satisfied," he said. "What we really don't know is how the people feel who had to stay home, or who had to adjust their work schedule."
Attitudes can change by the end of the Games, Jones said.
"We really have to wait until the Games are through," Jones said.
E-mail: lucy@desnews.com
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February 15, 2002
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