Eastern Cape residents polled in a national survey say the soccer World Cup in 2010 will create job opportunities and the country will be ready to host the event in four years.

They also predict that the province's economy will receive a boost and that South Africa's position will be consolidated internationally.

The survey was conducted by the Human Sciences Research Council.

Dr Udesh Pillay, executive director of the HRSC's urban, rural and economic development programme, said the survey would run every year.

"We will still do the survey at least four years after the World Cup has come and gone. We want to be able to assess trends and public perceptions in order to assist policy-makers," he said.

Public perceptions changed all the time, he said. "We want to see if people will maintain the same perceptions after the World Cup."

The survey was conducted in all provinces and it probed the expectations of respondents for the country as a whole, the city or area in which they lived, their neighbourhood and, finally, for them personally. About 3,000 people were polled in the Eastern Cape, and of those about 84% "strongly agreed" that South Africa would be ready to host the World Cup by 2010.

About 59% said local government in the area in which they lived would be able to meet World Cup requirements.

About 66% agreed that the World Cup would delay the provision of basic services to poor areas in the country.

About 69% agreed that small businesses would benefit from the showpiece.

About 76% also agreed that hosting the event would improve black economic empowerment.

About 71% said hosting the World Cup would help upgrade rundown parts of the locality in which they lived.

About 63% agreed that hosting the event would make South African cities more competitive internationally.

"Respondents were also asked for their views on the areas they expected to benefit most from hosting the event. The majority of respondents, 61%, said the benefits would accrue to Gauteng province - the economic heartland of South Africa - or to the two major urban areas in the province, namely Johannesburg and Tshwane," Pillay reported in his survey.