Residents’ perceptions of environmental certification, environmental impacts and support for the world expo 2015: the moderating effect of place attachment

Abstract

Purpose

Based on social exchange theory (SET) and signaling theory (ST), this study aims to evaluate how an event’s perceived environmental certification (PEC) by residents, affect their evaluations of environmental impacts and subsequent event support (ES). The moderating role of place attachment (PA) on some of these relationships is also evaluated.

Design/methodology/approach

Using partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), a theoretical model is tested on a sample of 450 residents who attended the 2015 Milan World Expo.

Findings

PEC positively affects evaluations of positive environmental impacts (PEI) but negatively affects evaluations of negative environmental impacts (NEI). PEC positively affects ES while the relationship between PEC and NEI is moderated by PA.

Research limitations/implications

Items used to measure PEC, PEI and NEI are not exhaustive. SET has its own limitations in explaining residents’ ES, which the authors have attempted to attenuate by using ST.

Practical implications

Using environmental certification as a communication tool must demonstrate to residents how it reduces negative externalities, rather than focusing only on its positive community benefits. Less well-educated residents had the lowest ES, suggesting the need to use social media to increase ES.

Originality/value

This study contributes to understandings of the perceptions of the benefits of event certification by residents, and how this affects their ES. PA moderates the relationship between PEC and NEI.

Citation

Prayag, G., Chowdhury, M., Prajogo, D., Mariani, M. and Guizzardi, A. (2022), "Residents’ perceptions of environmental certification, environmental impacts and support for the world expo 2015: the moderating effect of place attachment", International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Vol. 34 No. 3, pp. 1204-1224. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-06-2021-0824