Eurovision 2023
A study into the impact of Eurovision cultural content on the health and wellbeing of the residents of Liverpool, both in the short and medium term.
Liverpool City Council was awarded a £200,000 grant to deliver Eurolearn, a schools engagement programme, and an evaluation report on the impact of Eurovision on the health and wellbeing of the residents of Liverpool. The University of Liverpool led on this research, which aimed to explore how hosting the Eurovision song contest in 2023 on behalf of Ukraine impacted residents of the Liverpool City Region. The report produced was part of a series of commissioned evaluation reports.
This report focuses on wellbeing, civic pride and citizenship. It measures the success and impact of community projects funded by EuroGrants, and events supported by EuroLearn and EuroStreet commissions. Tools used included a pre-post household survey, focus groups and interviews, a thematic synthesis of the grantees feedback forms, and a questionnaire distributed by volunteers. The research shows that major events such as Eurovision can be a catalyst for community engagement, with many volunteers planning to volunteer locally again, along with an appetite for the continuation of the projects and activities that took place.
Key Findings
- Liverpool citizens were enthusiastic about their city hosting Eurovision. 74.1% of those surveyed were enthusiastic about Liverpool hosting the ESC on behalf of Ukraine and 80% of survey respondents felt proud that Liverpool had won the competition to host the Contest.
- Anticipation of Eurovision prompted feelings of wellbeing. Surveys suggested that there was a strong short term up-tick in wellbeing in anticipation of hosting Eurovision.
- Liverpool citizens engaged more in Eurovision events than they anticipated. Less than one fifth of pre-Eurovision survey respondents expected to get involved in the public events held in Liverpool, but more than one third actually reported attending a city or community event in the first follow-up survey.
- Eurovision encouraged Liverpool citizens to view themselves as part of a global community. After Eurovision, survey responses showed a significant change in sense of citizenship to wider areas than just the local city and significantly increasing for citizenship of the world.
- Feelings about Eurovision were highly similar to feelings about Liverpool as a city. In-depth interviews probing the feelings of those involved in Eurovision community events showed a strong overlap in the words participants used to describe Eurovision and Liverpool itself. This reflects the suitability of Liverpool as a host city for Eurovision – a vibrant and inclusive place with a love for music hosting Europe’s biggest party.
- Community projects had enormous reach. Projects funded as part of Eurovision involved 367 organisations and engaged 36,000 active participants. Eurolearn projects were used by 257 schools, with 17,746 participants and
Eurostreet/Eurogrant projects represented 77 community groups and schools with 11,904 participants. - Themes emerging from one-to-one and group interviews highlight the opportunities to build connections and create opportunities in a space that values inclusivity. Effective connections were essential for successfully delivering this wide range of activities, volunteers made new friends and felt valued for their work, and those from minoritized communities felt that Eurovision had created safe spaces for expression.
- EuroStreet and EuroLearn events created a sense of solidarity with Ukraine. Ukrainian citizens were strongly engaged in developing and delivering activities, ensuring authenticity. Participants valued the opportunity to share in Ukrainian culture and show their support.
- Community events associated with Eurovision are a powerful tool for fostering feelings of community and wellbeing. The EuroGrant, EuroStreet and EuroLearn initiatives provide a blueprint for increasing the impact of large-scale events beyond economic value. The tens of thousands of people actively involved in these events were empowered to be involved in an historic version of this world-famous festival.