Hong Kong: 2010 World Cup draws 12 per cent less interest than four years ago : TNS

However, 73 per cent of them still find the event appealing, compared with 83 per cent in 2006.

Thomas Isaac, director of research services at TNS, pointed out: “The decline may be due to the fact that South Africa is less well known than Germany in Hong Kong, and the image most people have about the country is mainly associated with negative issues, such as crime and political instability.  Also Germany has a strong football legacy and stars than South Africa."

He added that publicity for the event in Hong Kong has also been quite slow until recently, possibly due to budget cuts by advertisers since the 2008 global financial crisis.

“Promotions have mostly been seen on online social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, rather than high-profile outdoor activities,” he added.

As a result, the poll found fewer respondents keen to participate in World Cup-related activities, such as subscribing to i-Cable Communications to watch the games live on TV, betting on matches, or watching the final live.

The research findings showed that over half the population indicated their intention to watch the final on TV at home, as they did last time, although the number who will watch it in a public place has risen from 4 per cent in 2006 to 8 per cent this year, as there are more bars and shopping malls offering a free showing of the matches.

Even though the final will be shown live on local free-to-air TV channels TVB and ATV, lack of advance publicity about this fact means a number of viewers may think they will need to leave their homes to watch it.

66 per cent of respondents said they had not subscribed to i-Cable, the official Hong Kong World Cup broadcasters. Of the 28 per cent who are Now TV subscribers, only 10 per cent planned to switch to i-Cable, 36 per cent were unsure whether they would do so, and 54 per cent would definitely not. This may be due to the fact that they do not want to commit themselves to an i-Cable subscription beyond the one-month World Cup period.

Over half of Hong Kong's citizens expect to watch the final live, compared to 64 per cent in 2006, though 42 per cent have not yet decided.

The TNS online survey of 1,000 Hong Kongers was conducted between 27 May and 6 June.