CHAPTER FIVE:
HARNESSING THE POWER OF EVENTS
Only a varied slate of events will trigger pride across the UK.
While events have the power to bring us together and unify the country, no one event will speak to everyone. Younger Brits are more likely to find pride from cultural celebrations, whereas older generations draw more pride from traditional ceremonies and commemorations. To reach all communities, the UK must ensure that its events calendar has a mix of events that have the power to speak to everyone.
The public understand the power of events, and see the benefits of investing in them:
of UK adults think that the benefits of hosting events in the UK outweigh the drawbacks compared to just 22% who think the drawbacks outweigh the benefits.
The majority of UK adults support public money being spent on every type of event, from public commemorations to cultural exhibitions.
Younger people generally favour money being spent on cultural occasions, whilst older people favor commemorative or royal events.
The public understand the power of events, and see the benefits of investing in them:
of 18-24 year olds support public money being spent to help fund a major music or cultural festival with national reach, in comparison only 36% of 65+ year olds.
of 65+ year olds support public money being spent to help fund a large state or royal celebration compared to just 56% of 18-24 year olds.
Whilst there is more we can do to ensure the UK is home to a wide variety of events, the country is set to host an impressive array of events in the coming years. Events like the Invictus Games, UEFA EUROs along with recurring occasions in the UK’s events calendar like the Glastonbury Festival and Remembrance Day Commemorations all offer the opportunity to bring the country together and make us proud of the UK.
To ensure the UK makes the most of these opportunities, using them to make the nation proud, organisers should focus on creating a national moment & using the events to celebrate the UK’s cultural identity.
You don’t have to be physically close to an event to feel its effects.
To trigger pride, events need to create national moments.
Events make us proud when they unite the country, bringing people together in a shared experience. People gain even more pride from events when they attract positive international attention.
of UK adults said that UK-hosted events make them more proud when they attract positive international attention for the UK.
of UK adults enjoy events more when they bring people across the country together.
Whether it’s gathering in a local pub to watch a sporting event, or watching a royal occasion on the TV, events bind us together in shared moments.You don’t have to be physically close to an event to feel its effects.
of UK adults feel part of a national moment, even if the event takes place somewhere else in the country.
While there are numerous benefits to hosting events for local communities, if policymakers want to leverage events to inspire national pride they should must focus first and foremost on being national moments that reach the widest possible audience, both within the UK and internationally.
“I felt proud to be British during the royal wedding, it was quite a national event, and everyone was talking about it, so you kind of want to be part of it. Its got that FOMO effect”
“Concerts and things like that, when big stars that have come to the UK to perform, and everyone gets together. And again, you don’t have to worry about how much money’s in your bank or anything. Everyone’s showing an interest in the same thing. Seeing thousands of people there together – it’s just a proud moment when you’re standing there.”
Pride is more likely to come from our values and culture than it is from our achievements.
Events that want to generate national pride, should celebrate who we are as a nation.
Pride is more likely to come from our values and culture than it is from our achievements. If events want to generate pride, they must reflect that. The public enjoy events that reflect what the UK is and celebrate it – whether that’s through marking historical landmarks or creating cultural displays like the 2012 opening ceremony.
Yet different groups hold different understandings of British identity and values. For example, while Sideline Skeptics rarely draw pride from any events and Proud Participants draw pride from all events, Cultural Centrists relate more to events that are more likely to enjoy events celebrating diversity, whereas the Nostalgic Nationalists are more likely to enjoy events honouring sacrifice.
of Cultural Centrists enjoy events more when they celebrate diverse identities and experiences, compared to 42% of Nostalgic Nationalists.
of Nostalgic Nationalists enjoy events more when they honour the service or sacrifice of others, compared to 68% of Cultural Centrists.
Whilst our national identity brings us together, no two people have identical conceptions of what the UK means to them. Not all events have to be for all people, but over a programme of events, organisers should seek to spread benefits widely by programming a variety of events which speak to the different facets of the UK’s identity and as a result resonate across society.
Areas for further research
Whilst this research clearly demonstrates the link between UK-hosted events and national pride, there are several questions it raises that were not in the scope of this report, and deserve future consideration.
Events trigger pride for the majority of the public, by bringing us together and reflecting our values. But there is little evidence of how long lasting this pride is. People feel a great nostalgia towards past events, but it’s unclear that they continue to create pride after they have concluded.
Another area of ambiguity is how events can continue to reach mass audiences and unite the country, in a time where our media consumption is increasingly fragmented and independent. The declining popularity of linear television poses a challenge for event organisers seeking to create the national moments we know are key to stoking pride.
Finally, our research identifies one particular group Sideline Skeptics who rarely engage with events, and feel little to no pride towards the UK. Further research could shed light on how events could be designed to reach this group, and expose them to the positive effects events can have.
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About Spirit of 2012
Spirit of 2012 is the London 2012 legacy organisation. It was founded with a £47million endowment from the National Lottery Community Fund in 2013 and will undertake a planned closure in 2026. Their research, learning and insights from over a decade of funding projects to inspire a social legacy is available at www.spiritof2012.org.uk.