Going for Gold: the Intangible Effects of the 2012 Olympic Games in London, Paris and Berlin, 2011-2013

Measured the intangible impact of the 2012 Olympic Games in London, Paris and Berlin. It achieved this by gathering primary longitudinal data from individuals living in each of the 3 cities over the period 2011-2013 to see what effect, if any, the Olympics had on a comprehensive set of subjective well-being (SWB) outcomes. In particular, it uniquely showed how these outcomes relate to one another and change over time. Importantly for public policy, it also sheded light on the degree to which different components of SWB are predictive of changes in behaviour that policy-makers are concerned with (e.g. diet and physical activity).

The survey research comprised 3 main elements:

• In Year 1 (2011): A mixed methodology approach (online/telephone), with a total 26,142 interviews achieved;
• In Year 2 (2012): A mixed methodology approach (online/telephone) following up all individuals interviewed in Wave 1 with a total of 14,838 interviews achieved;
• In Year 3 (2013): A mixed methodology approach (online/telephone) following up all individuals interviewed in in Wave 2 with a total of 9,282 interviews achieved.

Individuals were interviewed using the same mode (either online or telephone) for each of the Waves they took part in. The sample consisted of individuals who live within the three metropolitan areas of London, Paris and Berlin. In order to maximise sample sizes, surrounding suburbs and region were included. The areas included in our sample are defined as follows: Greater London region, Paris Zone Urbaine and Berlin and Umland.

The online survey was conducted using the Ipsos Interactive Services Panel (IIS). In London and Berlin, this was topped up with sample from other panel providers to maximise the sample size. The online sample was released on a rolling weekly basis in order to sustain a good level of response over time (equivalent to before, during and after the Olympic period in 2012). The study was designed to measure change in individuals living in each city, so the key consideration was maximising the number of successful interviews at each wave. Therefore no quotas were set for the online survey at Wave 1, or in subsequent waves.

The online panel recruitment was supplemented with telephone interviews. For the three cities, the telephone sample was generated via random digit dialling (RDD).
Loose quotas (+/- 30%) on age, gender and work status were set according to the population profile. Given that the quotas set were fairly broad, it should be noted that the survey cannot be considered as representative of the population. In London, the quotas were set according to the London broadband population whilst in Paris and Berlin they were set according to the general population.

The online survey for the three cities was managed centrally by Ipsos MORI Interactive Services (based in London). The telephone fieldwork was managed by local agencies based in each city. The London telephone survey was conducted by Ipsos MORI Telephone Surveys which is a member of the Interviewer Quality Control Scheme (IQCS) and has Market Research Quality Standards Association (MRQSA) quality accreditation. In accordance with this, the field supervisor listened in to at least 10% of the interviews and checked the data entry on screen. The telephone fieldwork for Paris and Berlin was managed by local agencies: Ipsos France conducted the Paris telephone fieldwork and Social and Market Research (SMR) managed the fieldwork in Berlin. Our partner agencies locally abide by strict quality standards, with field supervisors listening in to calls and also back checking a number of interviews by calling a proportion of respondents immediately after the interview to check the data. Within Ipsos France, supervisors typically listen to 10% of the calls and back-check 10% of interviews. Our German partner also conducts these checks although they do not use a fixed proportion.  All interviews were conducted using Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing system (CATI).

It is the first attempt to establish the impact of experiencing large-scale events on stated preferences from the same individuals over a number of time points and determine the direction of causality from the Olympics to intangible outcomes. Additionally, it is the first panel dataset across Europe, which includes both evaluative and experience measures of subjective well-being and health data.

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