Determinants of support and participation in a major sport event referendum

Mel Johnston, Michael Naylor, Geoff Dickson, David Hedlund and Timothy Kellison

Sport Management Review, 2021, vol. 24, issue 1, 134-155

Abstract: In recent years, referenda have been used to inform decisions to bid on major sport events. Recognising referenda as a means to engage a community in a major sport event, the purpose of this study was to investigate the determinants of referenda support and participation intention. A sample of 603 New Zealanders completed a questionnaire a) the intention to participate in such a referendum. Based on exploratory factor analysis assessing b) their support for a referendum on their city bidding to host the Commonwealth Games, and multinomial logistic regression, the key findings are that political cynicism, civic duty, event status and involvement affected voters’ referendum support, while political cynicism, civic duty, political interest, event status and involvement impacted their voting intentions. The results have implications for prospective host cities, sport managers, policymakers, and ordinary citizens.We investigate the determinants of referenda support and participation intention in the context of a major sport event.Political cynicism, civic duty, and event status impacted voters’ referendum support.Civic duty, satisfaction with democracy, and event status impacted voting intentions.This study benefits those considering referenda in major sport event contexts.

Date: 2021
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DOI: 10.1016/j.smr.2020.08.001

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