Nearly a quarter (24%) of all Brits used the web to watch the Olympics, while 14% used social media to catch up on the action, according to new research.
The study, from Kantar Media, found that TV remained by far the most popular medium, with 81% of the UK public watching at least some of the games on the box.
In addition, 36.5 per cent read a newspaper on or offline; 24 per cent watched or listened on the internet; and 14.9 per cent followed the Games on social media such as Twitter or Facebook, research by Kantar has found.
However, while the figure for those who found out the results of events was also 81 per cent, only 5.1 per cent of those surveyed said they found out the results online, while 2.8 per cent said they found out the results on social media.
It was found that 33.8 per cent believed that the volunteers for the Games should receive a gold medal for their efforts; with men being in favour of this 0.3 per cent more than women.
Mandy Pooler, director of communications at Kantar, said: “It is undeniable that the Olympics have affected the lives of almost all Britons regardless of their location and this data proves that the cynicism and apprehension felt prior to the event was completely unfounded. The Gamesmakers fully deserve the credit that they have been given and our research reinforces the conclusion that this Olympics has been the ‘people’s Games’.”
The Kantar figures showed that 84.3 per cent thought the games would encourage participation in sport over the next four years, with 18 to 35 year olds being the most positive at 86.7 per cent believing in increased participation.
The research also found that 47.2 per cent were very satisfied with the BBC’s coverage of the game, with 3.4 per cent very unsatisfied, while 33.4 per cent thought that Boris Johnson would make a good Prime Minister.
Pooler added: “The success of the Olympics has affected public views of our political leaders and Boris Johnson’s profile has been strengthened with a third of the public now placing their faith in him as a future Prime Minister. The legacy of the Games will be felt for generations, led by heroes such as Jessica Ennis.”