Social impact of major sports events perceived by host community

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the social impact of major sports events perceived by host city residents using Shanghai as an example.

Design/methodology/approach

Exploratory factor analysis based on 450 valid questionnaires.

Findings

Research revealed six impact factors including four positive ones: “image and status,” “international exchange and cooperation,” “economic and tourism development,” and “infrastructure development.” In addition, two negative ones are also identified as “inconvenience of life” and “environment pollution and security concern.” Taken as a whole, the local residents in Shanghai have a relative positive perception of the impact of major sports events. Four out of six impact factors were significantly predictive of the attitude toward future bidding of major sports events.

Originality/value

The existing literature mainly examined social impact of specific events through case study, and little is known about the overall perception of major sports events in general. Accordingly, this paper seeks to bridge the gap by taking an event portfolio approach using Shanghai as an example.

Citation

Liu, D. (2016), "Social impact of major sports events perceived by host community", International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship, Vol. 17 No. 1, pp. 78-91. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSMS-02-2016-005