Towards an instrument measuring community perceptions of the impacts of festivals

Abstract

The sustainability of an event depends on the support of the local community. Currently, community instruments do not measure perceptions of the impacts of events in an integrated manner. This paper is the first step in developing such an instrument for events in South Africa. Seventy-five community impact items were identified through a literature study and were reduced to 44 items by using the Delphi technique. The results (44 items) were included in a questionnaire distributed at two festivals in South Africa, the Klein Karoo (N=330) and Grahamstown National Arts Festivals (N=401). A principal components factor analysis was performed, descriptive factors were identified and Cronbach Alfa coefficients calculated. Nine factors were identified of which two were found to be not reliable in this case. This instrument is unique because it is a first step in developing an integrated community perception measuring instrument for events in South Africa.