Knock LA

Local organizers NOlympics commissioned a survey to look into the opinions of Californians and Angelenos on the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. What they found runs directly counter to the only previous polling on the subject.

NOlympics polling results found that 47% of Californians oppose the games with only 26% supporting the bid. That suggests two things: first that the only previous poll, which came out of Loyola Marymount, that said that 88% of people in Los Angeles support the Olympics is likely out of step with reality; and second that there is a vast proportion of the population that do not know or have strong feelings about the details related to the Olympics coming to Los Angeles. Their polling found that only 1% of respondents were following the bid process closely; that is a number that suggests that what was previously called support is really more a lack of awareness.

Further, the specific concerns of respondents were largely focused around issues of housing. 51% of respondents said that they were concerned about the effects of the Games on the homelessness crisis Los Angeles is currently in. As the housing affordability crisis worsens, it is possible that opinions towards the potential of LA2028 will only sour more.

While NOlympics is obviously an advocacy group with a stated perspective on the Olympics (it’s right there in their name after all), the work they did was fundamentally sound. They also are making their data fully public, so those with concerns can interrogate their findings.

Hopefully this poll motivates local media outlets better funded than we are here at KNOCK to probe the issue more deeply. If the people of Los Angeles are not informed about or do not want the Olympics to come to Los Angeles, that is a big deal, and is again counter to the narrative pushed by LA2028. And given the potential expense and impact of the Olympics, if there is a lack of support within the community that should affect both how and whether LA hosts the games at all.