Abstract
Most social impact research considers the pre- and post-event social impacts of sporting events to investigate the effects of these events on residents' or consumers' intention or attitude. This study focused on the qualitative differences between pre-event expected social impacts (T1) and post-event experienced social impacts (T2). Then, it investigated viewing behaviors due to the expected social impacts, and intentions to support events from experienced social impacts. The Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan provided the context for the study. Panel data were collected from the same Tokyo residents in T1 (3 months before the event) and T2 (4 months after the event). The Internet-based survey consisted of six social impact constructs, framed as expectations in T1 and experiences in T2. Both dependent variables, viewing behavior and supporting events, were measured in T2, after the event occurred. Two expected impacts had a significant positive association with viewing behavior, while three experienced social impacts had a significant positive association with event support intention. The main contribution of this article is extending the understanding of the role of social impact as a predictor variable for residents' behavior and intention to support events by using panel data, which enabled the authors to obtain more robust results. The current study extends the knowledge on consumer expectancy role and social exchange theory in the context of the social impacts of sporting events.
Highlights
Over the past decade, social impact studies have informed policy makers and/or event organizers to consider the justification of organizing sporting events
The Rugby World Cup 2019 was held in Japan, being the first Rugby Union World Cup held in the Asian region
We compared the χ2 value of a measurement model with the correlation constrained to equal 1 to that of a baseline model without this constraint (Algesheimer et al, 2005)
Summary
Social impact studies have informed policy makers and/or event organizers to consider the justification of organizing sporting events. Major sporting events should be hosted with the consent of the local residents by validating their benefits and minimizing disorder or congestion in the hosting area, especially if public funds are required to support the event (Ohmann et al, 2006) Most studies in this area help shed light on the social value of sporting events (e.g., Waitt, 2003; Ritchie et al, 2009; Balduck et al, 2011), as well as the economic impact of sports (e.g., Crompton et al, 2001; Preuss, 2005; Agha and Taks, 2015). Social Impact of Host Residents (e.g., Kim et al, 2006; Heere et al, 2013; Gibson et al, 2014) This approach is derived from the definition of social impact, such as the changes in the collective and individual value or behavior patterns due to tourism or travel (Hall, 1992). The other major approach of social impact research is investigating the relationship between the impact perception and people’s support intention toward the event (e.g., Gursoy and Kendall, 2006; Lee and Krohn, 2013; Pappas, 2014)
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