Ipsos Survey: Majority of People Oppose Tokyo 2020 Olympics Amidst Pandemic

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics, currently underway, have been met with rejection from the majority of the public. This is reflected in an Ipsos survey showing that 57% of respondents opposed the games due to concerns about the spread of COVID-19 during the pandemic.

The highest percentage of opposition to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics came from South Korea, with 86% of respondents expressing disapproval. Meanwhile, citizens of Japan, the host country, also did not show support for the global sporting event. 78% of Japanese respondents disagreed with holding the event amidst the pandemic.

Quoting The Japan Times, a majority of the Japanese public doubts the government's ability to hold a safe Olympics during the pandemic. Especially with rising COVID-19 cases in Tokyo, the public worries that the arrival of tens of thousands of athletes and journalists from abroad could increase the spread of the coronavirus.

Conversely, seven countries showed the least opposition to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics during the pandemic. The lowest rejection rates were from Turkey (29%), followed by Saudi Arabia (34%), Russia (39%), Poland (40%), Italy (42%), India (46%), and the United States (48%).

Ipsos surveyed 19,510 adult respondents across 28 countries. Data collection took place from May 21 to June 4, 2021.