New Polls Shows Fewer Angelinos Support Hosting 2028 Olympic Games

According to a new survey conducted earlier this month, a record number of Los Angeles residents have said that the upcoming 2028 Olympics would not be good for the city. Polls in previous years showed strong support.

In September 2017, Los Angeles was officially awarded the 2028 Olympic games, it’s third following previously hosting the 1932 and 1984 games. Many public concerns, such as costs and unusable structures following the games that have plagued other cities hosting the event in prior Olympics, were quickly extinguished by officials. By having 11 years to prepare instead of the usual 5-7 years, as well as getting corporate sponsors and mostly using already existing venues instead of building, LA followed the model of the 1984 Olympics with the hope of making a profit off the games.

“LA did what almost no other Olympics has ever done. They made a profit,” athletics historian Ashley Harrison told the Globe on Tuesday. “And LA is doing the same moves this time around. They got big sponsors, they are using stadiums and other places that have already been built and, in many cases, used before by the ’32 and ’84 games, and they plan to sell a lot of merchandise from it. It’s a good plan.”

For many residents, the lack of a financial burden outside of the city agreeing to pay any cost overruns as a financial backstop, the prestige of the games, and the economic boon that the games is expected to bring to the city in July 2028 has made the Olympics a very positive thing for people in the city.

In 2016, a poll found that 88% of Angelenos were in favor of hosting the games. The next year, two polls found that 78% and 83% of residents respectfully were in favor. Last year, support was still very high, with 76% of residents still in favor of the games. However concerns about the cost of the games due to inflation have worried many residents since, as have concerns about what the games would do in averting resources away from homeless and affordable housing initiatives. Another major concern has been political backlash, as seen by controversies over the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, the 2021 MLB All-Star Game that was moved from Atlanta to Denver, and other major events in recent years.

According to the Suffolk University Poll, only 57% of residents believe that the Olympics will be good for the city, marking a huge drop in popularity for the Olympics from area residents. While support remains high amongst older residents, with 68% of those 55 and above and 65% of those between 35 and 54 expressing that it will be good for L.A., younger residents remain more pessimistic. Only 39% between ages 18 and 34 showed any positivity for the games, with 32% saying that the games would be bad for LA.

“The prestige of the Olympics has been tarnished due to numerous scandals and, overall, less excitement over them,” added Harrison. “And because a lot of people do have financial trouble right now, yeah, the results of the poll make sense. Younger people don’t want to see the city being squandered, even after they have shown that it is being paid for by mostly private means. They also don’t see that other improvements, such as linking LAX with the Metro and other needed projects, came about solely because of the Olympics.”

“However, it is clear that more people are growing wary of them, and considering the history of the Games, it’s understandable. The city needs to be doing a better job in showing the plusses and highlighting the positives even in the face of financially hard times right now. More people are growing worried. Alleviate them.”

LA is due to host the Olympics in a little more than 5 years in July 2028.