FIFA 2022: Place Attachment, Psychic Income, and Psychological Capital Among the Residents of Qatar

Qatar hosted the FIFA World Cup in November and December of 2022. The 12-year journey that Qatar underwent to host the first-ever World Cup in the Middle East was challenging at times and fundamentally changed the nation. Qatar is home to more than 2 million immigrants, and conducting research among the residents will help us understand the effects of hosting a mega-event. The data for the study was collected from a population of Qatar residents. A population of Qatar residents served as the source of the study's data. A total of 209 samples were gathered, of which 107 other residents and 102 volunteers completed the form. The Psychological Place Attachment Scale (PPAS) by Li, M., and Frieze, I. H. (2011), the Psychic Income Scale by Kim and Walker (2012), and the Compound PsyCap Scale (CPC-12) by Lorenz et al. (2016) were the questionnaires that were used. Descriptive statistics, independent sample t-test, One-Way ANOVA, and Structural Equation Modeling Analysis are the statistical tools used in the study. A higher level of place attachment and psychic income was discovered in volunteers. When gender was taken into consideration, males were found to have higher levels of PsyCap compared to females. With regard to employment type, i.e., between students and working professionals, students were found to have better Place Attachment than working professionals. Lastly, when the difference was found based on years of experience, significant differences were found only in Psychological Capital, and it was high among those who stayed in Qatar for less than 10 years. The place attachment had a direct impact on Psychic Income, whereas no impact was found between Psychic Income and PsyCap, as well as Place Attachment and PsyCap.