Beyond the glamour: resident perceptions of olympic legacies and volunteering intentions

ABSTRACT

This study examines factors that influence residents’ volunteering behaviours post-completion of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. It posits that residents’ interactions with the event over time and their perceptions of event legacies are likely to exert influence on volunteering. Data were collected in two phases between January 2013 and April 2016 amongst residents living in the borough of Weymouth and Portland. The borough is in the county of Dorset in the South West of England and was the host destination for the sailing events of the 2012 Games. Our findings revealed that residents’ intention to volunteer post-Games declined between 2013 and 2016. Actual volunteering experience, perceived event legacy, commitment to the community, age and length of residence were found to contribute significantly to future volunteering intentions. While the results provide insights for those seeking to develop event legacy strategies to both recruit volunteers and to better leverage volunteering opportunities, it also cautions the claim of positive volunteering legacy made by the 2012 Games.

KEYWORDS:

• Volunteering
• Olympic Games
• residents
• perceptions
• legacy
• time

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Richard Shipway

Richard Shipway research interests focus on sport tourism, Olympic studies, the impacts and legacies of international sport events, crisis and disaster management at sports events, endurance sports participation, volunteering at mega sports events, and sport ethnography. His previous work has explored a series of Olympic related research themes ranging from resident perception studies to Olympic tourism.

Brent W Ritchie

Brent W Ritchie research interests include tourism risk, crisis and recovery management from a consumer, organizational and destination perspective. Brent also has interests associated with resident support for tourism and events. His work has been published in outlets such as Tourism Management, Journal of Travel Research and the Journal of Sustainable Tourism.

P. Monica Chien

P. Monica Chien has multidisciplinary training in marketing and psychology, and has an extensive background in hospitality and tourism. Monica’s scholarly interests lie in the field of Consumer Behavior, and she is an active researcher in the associated fields of traveler behavior, sports fan behavior, branding and marketing communications. She has particular expertise and interest in experimental studies.