Resident Perceptions of Sport Mega-Events: A Host Community Perspective on the Forthcoming Commonwealth Games in Glasgow 2014

Special events are a popular component of tourism and economic development strategies for communities and regions in many parts of the world. researchers continue to develop an understanding of the positive and negative aspects of the events, and to assess residents' support and their views about impacts. this study compares and contrasts methods and theories behind sport mega-events and attitude variations among residents. the research focuses on residents of Glasgow and the upcoming Commonwealth Games 2014, highlighting their perceptions toward potential impacts. this was achieved by gathering quantitative data via 85 questionnaires and the use of a semistructured interview with a key player involved in planning and organizing for the Games. Data analysis followed the format developed in the article by ritchie, Shipway, and Cleeve. the results indicated that generally residents were supportive of hosting the event, but were concerned over traffic congestion and parking issues and potential increases in tax. Further analysis demonstrated that perceptions were influenced by sociodemographics and external factors such as age, length of residency, involvement in sport, and tourism. It also showed that residents had little involvement or communication in decision making overall. these findings provide a basis for the organizing committee to ensure the engagement of the community as a whole to increase overall support even further. this would help to address issues and concerns of residents and may encourage the development of ideas to help lighten the actual impact of the event on the host community as the report concluded.