Fans celebrate at Cypress Mountain in West Vancouver on Feb. 14 after Alexandre Bilodeau won Canada's first Olympic gold at home. (Darryl Dyck/Canadian Press)

A new poll suggests that Canadians see substantial benefits from the 2010 Olympic Games for Canada, for B.C. and for the city of Vancouver.

But British Columbians and Vancouverites were less likely to see great benefits from the Games, according to the Environics poll conducted after the conclusion of the Games.

Environics conducted three polls for CBC News — one before the Games began, the second midway through the Games and the most recent poll in the week after the closing ceremonies.

The new poll showed that 86 per cent of Canadians thought the Olympics had led to great (51 per cent ) or some (35 per cent) benefits for Canada as a whole. Those results represented an increase of 11 points overall from the 75 per cent who expected benefits in the first pre-Games poll.

Those who saw great benefits for Canada increased significantly to 51 per cent from 28 per cent over the period.

Perception of benefits steadily increased

Eighty-five per cent of Canadians thought there had been great (56 per cent ) or some (29 per cent) benefits for the province of B.C; this figure has also increased — by four points — in the number expecting benefits for the province from the pre-Olympic period. There was a significant increase — to 56 per cent from 43 per cent — in the number of Canadians seeing great benefits for the province.

A total of 88 per cent of Canadians in the new poll thought the games had led to great (63 per cent ) or some (25 per cent ) benefits for the city of Vancouver.

Among British Columbians, 80 per cent saw some or great benefits for B.C., a significant increase from the 63 per cent found before the Games. The number who saw great benefits for their province increased from 23 per cent before the Games to 41 per cent in the post-Game period.

Among Vancouver residents, 85 per cent thought their city had benefited from the Games. The number who expected great benefits for their city jumped from 28 per cent to 51 percent mid-way through the Games, but fell back to the 44 per cent level in the new poll.

Overall, 44 per cent of Canadians see at least some benefit for themselves personally from the Games. That was an increase of 19 points since the pre-Games period.

The new poll also showed that Ontario residents and higher-income Canadians were more likely than others to see benefits.

Opinions divided on cost

Almost half of Canadians surveyed (49 per cent ) said that the federal government, the province and the City of Vancouver spent "about the right amount" of taxpayer dollars on the Games. That proportion increased by eight points from the pre-Games poll. Thirty-five per cent, down eight points, thought that governments spent too much.

Attitudes toward government spending in B.C. and Vancouver remained more negative. A total of 55 per cent of B.C. residents and 59 per cent of Vancouver residents thought too much was spent by these governments. However, criticism of spending is down from the pre-Games period, when 70 per cent of British Columbians and 65 per cent of Vancouverites felt that governments were spending too much.

Some 37 per cent of B.C. residents and 33 per cent of Vancouver residents said "about the right amount" was spent by these governments on the Games.

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