Public Perceptions of the Economic Impacts of Government Funded Events

Journal of Entrepreneurship and Business 104 Abstract National yearly events that are publicly funded often turn into large events that are appealing to the public and therefore need to benefit the community and society at large. While the government’s role in organising or hosting public celebrations is to foster and enhance the spirit of patriotism, love for the country, strengthen unity and national integration among the people, others may argue that these celebrations are a waste of public funds which could be better spent on the economic development, repair and provision of infrastructure and improving social conditions in the state. This paper aims to examine public perceptions at the locality of the event and surroundings on the economic impact of these events. The study covered two major state events celebrated in Sarawak, the Governor’s birthday and Malaysia Day, organised and funded by the State Protocol and Public Relations Unit of the Sarawak Chief Minister’s Office. A self-administered questionnaire was developed to survey the attendees of two celebratory events via convenience Public Perceptions of the Economic Impacts of Government Funded Events Journal of Entrepreneurship and Business E-ISSN: 2289-8298