Consideration of the Causal Relation between Team Identification and Place Attachment: Focused on the Inhabitants of Imabari City, Hometown of Imabari Football Club

Abstract

Although previous researches have suggested that Team Identification （Team ID） and Place Attachment are positively correlated, the causal relationship between them has not been clarified sufficiently. In this research we attempted to verify the hypothesis that "inhabitants who have raised the Team ID will raise Place Attachment, compared to the inhabitants who have not raised it." The investigation method was a longitudinal survey focused on inhabitants of Imabari City, designed to assess the change in the Team ID and Place Attachment. The results of the two-way ANOVA showed that there was a significant difference between the Place Attachment of inhabitants who had raised the Team ID and those who had not. Place Attachment of the former increased, and thus the hypothesis was supported. The causal relationship between Team ID and Place Attachment been clarified by this research, however, the existence and the influence of other parameters have not been clarified. In order to clarify the mechanism between Team ID and Place Attachment, accumulation of expert knowledge will be required.