Americans' attitudes toward South Africa: A study of country reputation and the 2010 FIFA World Cup

Using the 2010 FIFA World Cup event as a stimulus, this study investigated the effect of international sporting events on country reputation. Given the extensive media coverage and viewership of the World Cup in the United States, a pre/post quasi-experimental test was conducted to assess the effect of the sporting event on the country reputation of South Africa. A nationally representative sample of more than 800 US adults participated in the study. Sample statistics matched US adult population parameters in terms of age, level of income and geographic distribution. Scales measuring country reputation and ethnocentrism were administered. Factor analyses of country reputation and the ethnocentrism were conducted and findings are discussed in the context of the extracted factors. The study found that on the Affection factor of country reputation, attitudes toward South Africa significantly improved after the World Cup event. Results also showed that levels of ethnocentrism moderated the effect. © 2012 Macmillan Publishers Ltd.