Please enjoy the following article from the Journal of Urban Affairs, available online.
The Olympics as an urban policy choice: Post-Games assessments of economic value by host city residents, by Harry H. Hiller & Richard A. Wanner
Abstract:
Olympic boosters have increasingly encountered opposition among city residents about the idea of hosting the Games. Among factors leading cities to question the advisability of hosting the Olympics is the issue of cost, which has critically shaped public opinion in bid cities. Considerable attention has been given to public opinion among local residents in host Olympic cities in both the bid phase and the preparation phase. In contrast, this paper uses microdata from Game-time public opinion surveys and post-Games surveys gathered 1 year and 4 years after the Games in both Vancouver and London using models that control for the demographic characteristics of respondents in order to understand how local residents perceive the economic value and economic outcomes of hosting the Games. Experiencing the Games leads to attitudinal shifts about value but does not resolve the question of whether hosting the Olympics is an appropriate urban priority.
Journal of Urban Affairs 