ECSS Paris 2023: CP-SH06
Introduction:Previous researches has demonstrated that mega-sporting events are not merely arenas for athletic competition, but also a powerful platform for showing its soft power and the constructing national identity. However, less paid in-depth attention to domestic mega-events situated within specific geopolitical contexts. This study takes the 15th National Games—the first to be jointly hosted by the Greater Bay Area (GBA) of Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao—as a case study to investigate the mechanisms through which mega-sporting events promote national identity among adolescents from Hong Kong and Macao. Methods:This study employs a quantitative research approach, targeting adolescents from Hong Kong and Macao aged 12 to 18. An integrated analytical framework is proposed based on the SOR model. Within this framework, the 15th National Games is conceptualized as an external "Stimulus" (S). The psychological and cognitive changes generated during their interaction with the event are regarded as the "Organism" (O) and sense of community (mediating variable) among the adolescents. Finally, the resultant change in the level of national identity is conceptualized as the "Response" (R)—national identity (dependent variable). The questionnaire consists of four core variables: event perception, national knowledge, sense of community, and national identity.A total of 563 valid questionnaires were ultimately collected. Results:The results revealed that event perception exerted the strongest positive influence on national knowledge (β = 0.70). Sense of community exhibited the second strongest positive influence on national identity (β = 0.63). The path coefficient from event perception to sense of community (β = 0.47) was positive and statistically significant (p < 0.001). Furthermore, national knowledge demonstrated a significant positive effect on sense of community (β = 0.44). Mediation analysis indicated that all three mediating pathways were significant, yielding a total indirect effect value of 0.686. Discussion: This study provides empirical evidence for the identity-building function of domestic mega-events within the unique context of China's cross-regional cooperation, revealing the "cognition-emotion-identity" transformation pathway among adolescents in Hong Kong and Macao. First, event perception most strongly predicts national knowledge underscores the symbolic power of mega-events as demonstrations of national capacity. Second, the identification of the "event perception → sense of community → national identity" pathway as the strongest mediating mechanism offers a crucial theoretical contribution. Third, the significant serial mediation pathway reveals a dynamic interplay between cognition and emotion.Fourth, the relatively balanced contribution of the two single-mediator pathways (cognitive vs. emotional) indicates that no single mechanism dominates exclusively.
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