Features

The Olympics Minister, Tessa Jowell, says every part of the country will benefit from the London 2012 Games.

But a specially commissioned survey by Inside Out suggests that most people don't really believe that.

We asked BBC Olympics correspondent, Adrian Warner, to travel across England to find out if the benefits brought about by the London games will really extend beyond the capital.

Who benefits?

In January/February 2008, professional pollsters GfK NOP were commissioned by BBC Inside Out to carry out a phone poll.

They called 2,000 people to find out how the British public felt the London Olympics would benefit them.

The biggest surprise was that nearly three in four people surveyed thought the region where they live would get no noticeable benefit.

Leaping for London but who else wins?

People living in the South West, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales, Yorkshire and North East England were most sceptical about their regions getting any tangible benefits from the Olympics. 

And in London that figure was still nearly 60%.

The survey also suggested that - even with four years to go - only one in four people say they are likely to make the trip to London for the Olympics.

Those most likely to travel to the Games are the 35-44 years and 65+ age groups.

People living close to London are unsurprisingly most likely to go to the Olympics. Fifty three per cent of Londoners and 37% of South Easterners say that they are considering attending the Games.

However, the least likely people to attend the Olympics 2012 are those living in the South West, Northern Ireland, Scotland and North of England.

'Distance to travel' was one of the key factors dissuading people in these areas from going to the London Olympics.

Couch potatoes?

Greater public involvement in sport and exercise is also a stated aim of the Olympics.

Capital or country - victory for all?

But only one in five people told Inside Out that it would inspire them to take up exercise, confirming the view of some critics that we are a nation of couch potatoes.

Of those surveyed the least likely to be encouraged to participate in sport or exercise as a result of London 2012 are Yorkshire, the South and the North East of England.

Only 10% of North Easterners say they will be encouraged to take up sport or physical activity, the lowest of any region. 

However, the regions most likely to be inspired to get active are the London/South East (26%), the North West (22%) and Scotland (22%).

The Inside Out Olympic survey

1. Do you think you are likely to go to the Olympic Games in London in 2012?

National: Yes 25% No 75%
London: Yes 53% No 47% (Sample: 248)

Lowest - South West: Yes 9% No 91% (Sample 178)
Highest outside London: Yes 37% No 63% (Sample 397)

High hopes - Tessa Jowell and Lord Coe.

2. If no to question 1: Why do you say that?

* Not interested in sports: 38%
* Too far to travel: 23%
* Cost/Too Expensive: 17%
* Security Concerns: 2%
* Other: 33%
* Don't know: 2%

3. Do you think the region where you live will get any noticeable benefit from the Olympics?

National: Yes 22% No 73%
Don't know: 5%

London: Yes 33% No 59% Don't know: 8% (sample 248).

4. Do you think the Olympics will inspire you to participate in sport or exercise?

National: Yes 20% No 80%

Source: GfkNOP Phone Poll, January/February 2008. Based on a sample size of 2,000 people.

Sporting challenge

The challenge for the government will be to ensure that the benefits of the London Olympics extend beyond the south of England - and that the rest of the country feels like winners rather than losers in terms of tourism and local economies. 

Inside Out spoke to Tessa Jowell to see if she's still convinced that we can all benefit from the 2012 games.

With four years left to London 2012, there appears to be a long way to go... but there is still time to reap the benefits for those regions who seize the challenge.

Fact file

* Getting Britain ready for the Olympics is going to cost more than £9 billion.

* £6 billion of that money will be coming directly from our pockets - through the Department of Culture. Media and Sport.

* £2.2 billion will come from the National Lottery.

* Around £1 billion will come directly from people in London.

* Running the games will cost an extra £2 billion - but this should mostly come from the private sector.

* Attractions in and around London are likely to get the lion's share of the estimated £2 billion being spent by around half a million extra overseas visitors.

*Around 750,000 business contracts will be generated by the games.

* Preparing for London 2012 should create £6 billion worth of new business - and thousands of new jobs.

* Out of the contracts awarded so far - half have gone to London. In total around 2/3 have gone to just London and the South East of England.

* Purely from a money point-of-view independent estimates claim we stand to make about £2 billion on the running of the games... but this will be centred on London.