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The effect of major sports events on hosting countries has been extensively studied. Most of these studies have focused on the economic benefits arising from hosting such events. Although there are relatively fewer studies on non-economic benefits, they have generally supported the conclusion that there are non-economic benefits, including an increase in the national pride of the host country (Kim and Petrick, 2005; Ritchie et al. , 2009; Waitt, 2003; Wood, 2006).
In August 2010, Singapore hosted the inaugural Youth Olympic Games (YOG). The YOG is a recent initiative by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) targeting the youth market, involving athletes between the ages of 14 and 18 years. Through the YOG, the IOC aimed to create a positive community for young people to participate in sport and to learn about Olympic education (Wong, 2011). Apart from engaging the youth, the local organisers also aimed to achieve other non-economic benefits, such as providing a platform for Singaporeans to come together through various community partnerships and events.
An earlier study found that in hosting the YOG, there was an increase in national pride among Singaporeans. This finding was not unexpected as it concurred with existing literature. Due to the exposure to nationalistic sentiments during the hosting of a major sports event, it was expected that there will be an increase in national pride. This suggests that non-spectators of the sports event, who are not exposed to nationalistic sentiments, may not experience an increase in national pride. The purpose of this paper is to examine further the data from the earlier study to establish whether the increase in national pride differs between spectators and non-spectators of the YOG.
Literature review
National pride is defined as the positive affect that the public feels towards their country as a result of their national identity. It is both the pride or sense of esteem that a person has for one's nation, and the pride or self-esteem that a person derives from one's national identity (Smith and Jarkko, 1998). The General National Pride Scale, developed by the National Opinion Research Centre in the University of Chicago, has been widely used to measure national pride. This scale measures the extent to which a citizen is proud of his nation, its achievements and...