Mixed Feelings On The Rugby World Cup

Mixed Feelings On The Rugby World Cup

Less than four in ten New Zealanders are looking forward to the Rugby World Cup, according to a new poll by UMR Research. While we think it will be good for our economy, a sizable number of us think that it will be disruptive for many New Zealanders.

- 35% of all New Zealanders say that they are not looking forward to the RWC, compared with 37% who say they are looking forward to it and 29% who are neutral.

- 62% of those who are interested in rugby say they are looking forward to the RWC, compared with just 8% of those who are not interested in rugby.

- Enthusiasm is particularly low in Canterbury. Just 16% of Cantabrians say that they are looking forward to the RWC, suggesting that they are feeling left out after games were moved away from Christchurch.

- 51% of New Zealanders think that the Rugby World Cup will be good for the New Zealand economy (only 15% disagree with 32% neutral)

- 41% believe that it will be disruptive for many New Zealanders (23% disagree and 37% are neutral).

- 40% expect all the developments to be ready on time (14% disagree and 46% are neutral).

The data is from UMR Research’s latest online survey of a nationally representative sample of 850 New Zealanders aged 18 years and over. Fieldwork was conducted from June 29th to July 20th 2011.

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