Following a growing focus on the social impacts of mega-sport events over the past decade, this study
examined perceptions of psychic income and social capital among South African residents prior to, and
following, the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Psychic income is a measure of event-related pride/euphoria and
social capital is a proxy for social cohesion. Using a quasi-experimental trend design, residents of five
host cities were surveyed three months pre-event (n ¼ 1749), and eight months post-event (n ¼ 2020).
ANOVA, MANOVA and MANCOVA were used to evaluate the data over time. Psychic income significantly
increased from pre to post-event; males and Black South Africans rated psychic income significantly
higher. Three social capital dimensions decreased and two exhibited no change post-event; Black and
younger South Africans perceived higher social capital levels. The social utility of mega-events, the
concept of event-related legacy, and the operationalization of social impact and data collection timeframes
for future studies are discussed.