Engaging sport participants (e.g., runners) in sustainable behaviors can significantly reduce the environmental impact of the organization or event. However, various constraints limit the engagement of participants in sustainable behaviors, including both internal constraints (e.g. lack of knowledge and lack of worth) and external constraints. This study explored the role of lack of access to sustainable options, lack of time to engage with sustainability. This study surveyed a sample of participants in a mid-Atlantic 10km running event; 746 runners participated.
The results show that internal constraints must be addressed before external constraints. In other words, organizations must endeavor to change attitudes and educate the public before they can begin changing the participants' behaviors. Interestingly, each market segment varies on the impact of constraints that inhibit sustainability. This means that organizations must consider their different segments (e.g. weekend warriors vs. elite athletes), and target messaging to address each group's interests and concerns.
CITE: Trail, G. & McCullough, B. (2018). Differential effects of internal and external constraints on sustainability a hierarchical regression analysis of running event participants by market segment. Journal of Management for Global Sustainability, 6(2).
