Early Resident Support for a Mega-Event: Evidence from the 2032 Brisbane Summer Olympic Games

Abstract

With fewer willing hosts, mega-events face uncertainty. From stakeholder and core/periphery perspectives, dystopic outcomes are occurring because mega-event elites benefit far more than peripheral stakeholders, including host city residents. To overcome the current crisis of confidence in mega-events and enable procommunity ideals of stakeholder theory, we identify levels of host community support for the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games in the early preevent stage, when proactive planning interventions are still possible. Two thirds of 897 surveyed host city respondents supported the Brisbane Games in our 2022 study, but this support is "soft." Specifically, cluster analysis reveals an event-loyal inner periphery of "enthused legacy optimists" and "enthused immersives" who can be targeted for early personal engagement and recruitment of other residents, especially the large middle periphery of "skeptics." A passively opposed outer periphery of "neutral negatives" and "naysayers" was also identified that may resist recruitment but is unlikely to disrupt preparation or hosting.