In face of global warming, resource scarcity, and frequent natural disasters, sustainability has long become a fundamental and consistent concept in today’s society. More sustainable and environmentally friendly practices have since been widely adopted across various sectors.
Sport, as a major part of the event and leisure industry, has also seen significant changes and innovations towards a more sustainable future.
In recent years, motorsport has found itself especially criticized in this regard. Its seemingly large contribution to carbon dioxide pollution not only from the cars themselves, but also the logistical processes behind the events, has raised significant concern. As a result, numerous sustainability initiatives aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions have been implemented in modern motorsport.
However, ever since their implementation, these initiatives have been the subject of a two-sided discussion, ranging from praise and encouragement to accusations of greenwashing. It is here, that the idea of a bachelor thesis on fan perception of sustainability initiatives in motorsport was born.
By analyzing current environmental sustainability initiatives of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) as well as the Formula 1 and Formula E Championships, the main objective of this thesis is to identify how current sustainability initiatives and campaigns in motorsport are communicated, how they are perceived by fans and, as a result, whether and how the fans’ engagement with the sport changes in face of a sustainable and environmentally friendly future.
The empirical research forming the basis of this paper is an anonymous 5-10 minute online survey conducted among motorsport fans worldwide. To conduct meaningful research and achieve relevant results, a large number of participants is essential. I therefore kindly ask for your participation and support by following the link below and taking part in this survey.
Survey Link: https://www.umfrageonline.com/c/ren7uuju
Sebastian Hois
Sports, Culture & Event Management
University of Applied Sciences Kufstein, Austria
