Why do(n’t) young people watch the Olympics? A comparison of motives and constraints for attendance and media viewing

This study investigates internal and external motives, and intrapersonal, interpersonal, and structural constraints affecting domestic young people’s intentions for attending or media viewing the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics. Through thought-listing, key motives and constraints are identified. Based on surveys and SEM analysis, relationships among motives, constraints, and intentions are tested, and findings related to attendance and media viewing are compared. Perceived motives/constraints/intentions in host and non-host regions are compared based on mean structure analysis. Universal (e.g., curiosity, enjoyment, social influence) and contextual (e.g., lack of knowledge, cost) motives/constraints affecting attendance and/or media viewing are identified. Interestingly, only structural constraints affect attendance intention, whereas intra- and interpersonal constraints affect media viewing intention as well. Perceived levels of motives/constraints/intentions partially vary between host and non-host regions. Diversified marketing strategies for Olympics attendance and media viewing in host- and non-host regions are discussed.