Evaluating the on-going and ex-post impacts of Braga (Portugal) being 2012’s European Youth Capital

Abstract

The primary objective of this paper was to assess the impacts of Braga (Portugal) being 2012’s European Youth Capital (EYC 2012), as perceived by the residents of the hosting city of Braga, the EYC 2012 event participants, and the EYC 2012 program organizers. To achieve these goals, two surveys were conducted: an on-going directive interview (2012 – 110 respondents) and an ex-post directive interview (2013 - 73 respondents). The comparative analysis enabled us to draw the following primary conclusions: i) the bulk of the respondents had a positive perception of EYC 2012; females and individuals with up to 9 years of schooling valued it the most; ii) the internet and friends/relatives were the main means used to access the EYC 2012 program; iii) the most popular EYC 2012 events were the musicals and the White Night.

Keywords

• Perceived impacts
• Quantitative Approach
• Residents and participants` perceptions
• Mega-events
• European Youth Capital 2012.