ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Sports Act. Living
Sec. Sport, Leisure, Tourism, and Events
Volume 7 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fspor.2025.1645623
This article is part of the Research TopicMega events, event legacy, and transforming events into sustainable tourism opportunitiesView all articles
Impact of Perceived Environmental Legacy on Residents' Pro-Environmental Behaviors in Large-Scale Sport Events: A Moderation Analysis of Authenticity
Provisionally accepted
- Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China
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Prior research has demonstrated that residents' perceptions of environmental legacy (PEL) following large-scale events yield several positive outcomes, such as subjective well-being and support of future events. However, the role of PEL in shaping residents' pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs) remains underexplored. Drawing on the Norm Activation Model, this study investigated how PEL is associated with PEBs through the mediation of perceived fit (PFT) and the moderation of authenticity evaluation (AUTH). Data were collected via an online survey administered to 823 residents of Hangzhou, one year after the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games. Structural equation modeling revealed that PFT fully mediated the relationship between PEL and PEBs. Latent moderated structural modeling showed that AUTH strengthened the direct relationship between PEL and PEBs. The study advances event legacy literature by identifying the psychological pathways associated with the activation of PEBs, which are mediated by PFT and moderated by AUTH. For policymakers and event organizers, the findings underscore the importance of designing environmental legacies that are both authentic and culturally resonant to maximize long-term behavioral impacts. To enhance residents' PEBs, stakeholders in large-scale sports events should prioritize the authenticity and value-fit of their environmental strategies.
Keywords: perceived environmental legacy, Pro-environmental behaviors, Authenticity, large-scale sport event, Norm activation model
Received: 12 Jun 2025; Accepted: 13 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Chen, Wu and Wu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Ji Wu, wuji@sus.edu.cn
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