Does Communication Alone Fail in Crisis? The Relationship-Mediating Model in Securing Residents' Supportive Attitudes towards Hosting the Olympic Games

Abstract

While research on event management often draws on social exchange and media theories in understanding residents’ supportive attitudes, the role of government–public relationships and strategic communication remains underexplored. Addressing this gap, this study examines how bridging communication strategies affect residents’ supportive attitudes through government–public relationships dimensions in the pandemic-postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympics context. Using data from 500 Tokyo residents and partial least squares equation modeling, two serial mediation models—affect (satisfaction → trust) and cognition led (trust → satisfaction)—were tested. Findings reveal that bridging communication does not directly influence residents’ supportive attitudes; rather, it operates entirely through sequential mediation of satisfaction and trust. Both affect- and cognition-led pathways demonstrated similar effectiveness, suggesting that emotional and cognitive relationship components function as equally important mechanisms. These findings demonstrate that effective communication alone is insufficient; governments must foster genuine relationships grounded in both satisfaction and trust to secure support for mega sport events under challenging circumstances.