Popular perception of urban transformation through megaevents: understanding support for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi

作者：Mueller Martin

来源：Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy , 2012, 30(4): 693-711.

DOI：10.1068/c11185r

• megaevents
• Olympic Games
• impacts
• attitudes
• perception
• support
• Russia

With the increasing number and impact of events hosted by cities, understanding the nature of popular support for them and the resulting urban transformations is a crucial task. I examine residents' perceptions of the preparations for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, asking how support differs across social groups and what factors predict support. I find that negative impacts from preparations dominate public opinion, but that there is nevertheless a solid support base for the event. Support tends to be strongest among non-Russians, the younger generation, and residents who have good knowledge of the preparations. Perception of positive impacts-in particular, expected image improvement-is the strongest predictor of support, while perception of negative impacts shows a much weaker association with support. I conclude that delivering on the positive aspects of events might be more important for administrations than minimizing the negative side effects.

• 出版日期2012