An investigation into the different social impacts TRNSMT has on the residents of Glasgow

Abstract

Events are organised and created for many reasons such as to showcase the host city, to create positive regeneration projects, to improve the cities overall image and to create economic and social impacts. However, although regeneration and economic impacts have in-depth research surrounding them there is a growing necessity for research surrounding social impacts of events. Social impacts are researched less due to the fact they are harder to measure due to them not being exactly tangible in nature. This study consists of an investigation into the different perceived social impacts that TRNSMT has on the residents of Glasgow. TRNSMT is a new music festival, that has only operated for two years, that takes place in the city centre of Glasgow in the month of July. The objectives of this research are as followed: to assess the positive and negative impacts different social dimensions have on the residents of Glasgow in regard to TRNSMT, to determine which dimension of social impacts the residents of Glasgow perceive to have the biggest influence on their everyday life while the festival occurs and to establish whether or not different demographic characteristics influence how the residents of Glasgow perceive the social impacts of TRNSMT. The main findings of this research indicate that the participants consider the festival to have a handful of both positive and negative social impacts including sense of pride, preservation of traditions, sense of escapism, sense of overcrowding throughout the city and rise in alcohol consumption and drug use. The participants also consider that the social dimension that has the biggest impact on their lives while the festival occurs is traffic congestion, as there is an increase in traffic on the roads and an increase in pedestrians using public transport. Finally, this study found that there were differences between demographic characteristics and perceived social impacts. These differences were found between different genders, different age groups and different educational levels. Each demographic characteristic showed differences amongst them regarding what they believed the social impacts of TRNSMT to be.