The Nielsen-led survey revealed that 94 per cent of the respondents, who were aged between 16 and 45 years old and from 22 Russian cities, thought the Olympics met or significantly exceed their expectations, while the Paralympics wowed 97 per cent of those asked.

The study also said eighty per cent of respondents agreed that the Sochi Games has "become the most important positive event of 2014", with 88 per cent following the Olympics and 64 per cent following the Paralympics.

Sixty-five per cent of those interviewed in the study said Sochi 2014 helped change society's attitude towards people with impairment ©Sochi 2014



Meanwhile, 75 per cent of the Russians asked in the study believe the legacy of the Games will benefit the nation for years to come, with 81 per cent saying it helped form national pride, another 81 per cent saying it helped get children involved in sport, 66 per cent claiming it contributed to positive change in the country and 65 per cent saying it helped change society's attitude towards people with impairment.

Above all, the study showed that of those asked 92 per cent were either of a positive or neutral opinion of Sochi 2014 - an increase of nine per cent compared with last year, while eight out of 10 of the Russians asked said Sochi 2014 was "the best event they had ever attended or watched".

Only six per cent were said to be still sceptical of the Games.

An infographic of the results of the study can be seen here.

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