World Cup triumph will ‘boost regional economy’
A QUARTER of adults in Yorkshire and the Humber believe an England World Cup win in South Africa this summer could help allay the financial crisis, a new survey claims.
The PricewaterhouseCoopers survey found that those polled in the region stated they believe a victory in June would help the country out of the downturn.
In the poll of 2,000 UK adults, men showed more faith in football with 25% answering favourably, while only 13% of women agree.
Paul Nixon, senior partner at PwC in Leeds, said: “Winning a global sporting tournament such as the football World Cup has a significant impact on domestic consumer discretionary spend and therefore GDP.
“Whilst we are technically out of recession, such a boost in national morale and international brand perception would aide recovery.
“A strong performance by a national team creates a long-lasting feel good factor. A successful campaign unites a nation in pursuit of a goal greater than their individual needs, instilling pride and self-confidence.”
The PwC survey indicated that 12% of consumers In Yorkshire & Humberside intend to buy more if England win the World Cup in South Africa – specifically on following football, celebrating in pubs and restaurants, and treating themselves to new purchases.
Randal Casson, partner and Yorkshire and Humberside head of assurance and retail at PwC, said: “Our consumer research findings are consistent with a number of academic research studies which demonstrate that after periods of footballing success, for example when France won the World Cup in 1998 and Greece won the European Championship in 2004, there was a systematic rise in average attendance at club level in the respective countries.
“Such major events also help to drive sports participation. For example, in Australia 12 months after the Sydney Olympics, those sports where the host country had experienced success, also demonstrated increased an uplift in participation, with beach volleyball up by 7%.”
