To view a detailed poll analysis with illustrations, click here
CARP ActionOnline readers are not offended by a specific ageist television commercial, but do believe broadcasters have a special responsibility to ensure their ads do not stereotype or offend.
Readers are of mixed minds about the value and appeal of the Olympics, but one thing is clear – Vancouver residents (and those in BC) are far more negative about the Olympics, based on their current experience, than are residents of other Canadian Olympic cities, especially Calgary.
A minority of readers think an ad stereotyping old age during the Super Bowl broadcast was offensive for that reason, while the majority either find the ad funny, or don’t care about its content. A small minority say the ad would make them less likely to buy the sponsor’s product.
However, a majority of readers say broadcasters have a special responsibility to make sure their ads do not offend when the audience is as large as that for the Super Bowl.
The vast majority of readers planned to watch the Olympics, and most will watch hockey, followed by figure skating and curling. Readers believe the USA is on track to win the most medals overall, followed by Canada and Germany.
Our members do not see the need for a “Masters Olympics” for athletes over 50 (it should be noted that a 51 year old ski jumper is competing for Mexico).
While close to half our readers do not think the operating budget of $1.8 billion for the Olympics was money well-spent, a majority do think the capital budget of $6 billion was well-spent, presumably because of the infrastructure to be left behind.
About half our members would not like to see the Olympics staged in a city they lived in or near, and once again assessments are most negative in Vancouver and most positive in Calgary.
When asked to characterize the Olympics, most choose a positive descriptor, but a significant minority find the Olympics too commercial, undemocratic, costly and much ado about nothing.
To view a detailed poll analysis with illustrations, click here
Keywords: olympics
