Most Canadians will watch the Paris Summer Olympics to some extent, but only a small percentage will follow them closely, according to a new national poll.

In an online survey conducted from July 12 to 14, polling firm Léger asked more than 1,500 people about their views on the upcoming Summer Games and their overall perception of the Olympics.

Nine percent of respondents said they would follow the Olympics closely and 43 percent said they would follow some events.

Meanwhile, 27 percent said they “probably don't intend to watch the games,” 16 percent said “absolutely not” and four percent didn't know.

The survey, weighted to account for demographic differences, cannot be assigned a margin of error because online surveys are not considered truly random samples.

The Canadian team is made up of 338 athletes, including 142 returning Olympians and 38 already on the podium.

The team includes swimmer Penny Oleksiak, Canada's most decorated Olympian with seven career medals, and sprinter Andre De Grasse, who is right behind them with six medals.

The games will officially begin with the opening ceremony on July 26 and end on August 11.

Léger asked how people likely to watch the Olympics would follow. Sixty-five percent of respondents said they would watch games on television, with social media and online streaming services each receiving 24 percent of responses. A small fraction of six percent said they would listen to the radio.

Among respondents aged 55 and older, 81% said they are watching TV more frequently. Younger respondents prefer other media, with 44% of 18- to 34-year-olds saying they would follow social media and 39% choosing online streaming.

CBC, the Canadian broadcast rights holder, plans to deliver 22 hours of Olympic programming each day. The broadcast will air on traditional television, the CBC website, the Gem app and streaming service, Radio-Canada and partner networks TSN, RDS and Sportsnet.

The poll also asked if Canadians would like to see the Olympics held in their country in the future. More than half, or 51 per cent, said yes, 33 per cent were opposed and 17 per cent didn't know.

The Canadian city has hosted the Olympic Games three times. Montreal hosted the 1976 Summer Olympics, Calgary in 1988 and Vancouver in 2010 hosted the Winter Olympics.

The poll found that respondents want another Olympic Games in Canada: 37 per cent prefer the Winter Games, while 33 per cent said they would prefer the Summer Games.

The vast majority believe the Games will benefit the economy of the host city, with 72% saying the Games will have a “very positive” or “rather positive” impact.

Nearly half of Canadians surveyed (48%) support the idea of ​​having permanent host cities to reduce costs and environmental impact.

Faced with soaring venue costs and climate change, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) may consider rotating Winter Games host cities so that a reasonably small number of mountain towns can host the Games. Vancouver, which has hosted mountain events in Whistler, B.C., is considered a competitive city.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 17, 2024.