Exploring volunteer engagement in a mega sport events: the role of functional attitudes

Abstract

ABSTRACT Research Questions Primary research questions include: (1) What are the salient attitudes of volunteers that influence their engagement intention and (2) Do extra-role behaviors and emotional attachment mediate their relationship with the event? Methods We used a face-to-face survey design and collected 271 use cases from volunteers recruited during the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games. Results and Findings The results of structural equation modeling indicate that value-expressive and social adjustive attitudes were positively correlated with extra-role behavior. Value-expressive, utilitarian, and knowledge showed a significantly positive effect on emotional attachment. Furthermore, emotional attachment and extra-role behavior played a significant mediator role in explaining the relationships between functional attitudes and volunteer engagement. Implications The results shed light on volunteer literature through an extended understanding of functional attitude theory in the context of volunteer engagement. Sport managers could use the findings to clearly understand relevant volunteers’ attitudes to predict their extra-role behavior and future volunteering intention. Such efforts allow managers to carefully articulate promotional message when recruiting volunteers.