The host with the most? The effects of the Olympic Games on happiness

Dolan, Paul, Kavetsos, Georgios, Krekel, Christian, Mavridis, Dimitris, Metcalfe, Robert, Senik, Claudia, Szymanski, Stefan and Ziebarth, Nicolas R. (2016) The host with the most? The effects of the Olympic Games on happiness. CEP Discussion Paper, No 1441. Centre for Economic Performance, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, UK.

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Abstract

We show that hosting the Olympic Games in 2012 had a positive impact on the life satisfaction and happiness of Londoners during the Games, compared to residents of Paris and Berlin. Notwithstanding issues of causal inference, the magnitude of the effects is equivalent to moving from the bottom to the fourth income decile. But they do not last very long: the effects are gone within a year. These conclusions are based on a novel panel survey of 26,000 individuals who were interviewed during the summers of 2011, 2012, and 2013, i.e. before, during, and after the event. The results are robust to selection into the survey and to the number of medals won.

Item Type:

Monograph (Discussion Paper)

Official URL:

http://cep.lse.ac.uk/

Additional Information:

Library of Congress subject classification:

H Social Sciences > HT Communities. Classes. Races

Journal of Economic Literature Classification System:

I - Health, Education, and Welfare > I3 - Welfare and Poverty > I30 - General
I - Health, Education, and Welfare > I3 - Welfare and Poverty > I31 - General Welfare; Basic Needs; Living Standards; Quality of Life; Happiness
I - Health, Education, and Welfare > I3 - Welfare and Poverty > I38 - Government Policy; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs
L - Industrial Organization > L8 - Industry Studies: Services > L83 - Sports; Gambling; Recreation; Tourism

Sets:

Research centres and groups > Centre for Economic Performance (CEP)

Identification Number: