To volunteer for the 2008 Olympic Games is something that would interest almost every Chinese, but most are realistic as to what that would entail, a recent online survey shows.

Nearly 97 per cent, or 13, 305 of voters taking the survey on qq.com, said "yes"
when asked, "Do you want to serve as a volunteer for the Olympics?" Only 451 voters, or three per cent, said "no".

When asked what primary intent would lead them to volunteer, about half said they were "willing to do something for the Games" and a quarter said they were looking for work experience to "add weight to a future career."

However even as voters expressed their almost unanimous willingness to volunteer, they would be walking into it with their eyes wide open. "The work might be tedious and toilsome," 5,006 voters, or 36 per cent, indicated would be their first thought if they decided to volunteer.

Another 4,064 voters, or 30 per cent, said the academic side would be a top priority believing "Translation will be one of the main tasks for volunteers with foreign language skills."

Only 768 voters, or 5.58 per cent, would seek to volunteer just because of a possible close contact with sports stars or to watch the Games from close range.

Among all possible volunteer applicants, eight per cent would work for no pay, while the majority, or 88 per cent, think volunteer work is not money-oriented.

As passions run high in anticipation of the Games, the capital's organization body is apparently not doing enough to utilize the energy.

More than half of those willing to serve for the Games have not undergone any application procedures yet, and over 60 per cent do not know where their application forms should be sent. Another ten per cent blame the current social security measures and incentive systems, which make them feel insecure about doing the job.

Voters were divided on the question of expected incentives. One third would not care if the rewards were simply spiritual, while the rest expect privileges, ranging from social securities to career promotion.

QQ.com is China's leading site in developing online chat software. The majority of visitors to the site are thought to be under 35 years old.

The survey began on Apr. 7 and was co-organized with other media heavyweights such as China Central Television and Sina.com, which producedsimilar results.