Positive Social Impacts
A positive social impact of the 2011 Rugby World Cup was how it brought New Zealand closer together. The community engagement programmed ensured enthusiastic support for the Rugby World Cup throughout New Zealand and locals and visitors alike embraced the festivities by joining the Fan Trail for example. In a survey of Aucklanders, 87.8% indicated that the tournament generated a greater sense of community and 89.1% of people felt a sense of pride in the way Auckland hosted the event. Another positive impact of the RWC is the lack of interruptions it caused to daily life and the minimal disturbances to city-run services. 84.9% of businesses felt that tasks such as rubbish collection, street maintenance and public transport carried on at the same standard during the RWC while 11.4% felt these services were even better compared to the usual level. A positive long-term effect was that 39.8% of Aucklanders felt that the 2011 Rugby World Cup inspired them to participate in sports or be more active in general. This is significant, as the World Health Organization has identified physical inactivity as one of the biggest contributors to disease in New Zealand. 26.8% of people also felt that the 2011 RWC inspired them to get involved in sports as a coach, official or as a volunteer. Comments from business leaders at events showcasing Auckland industry spoke of valuable networking opportunities the 2011 Rugby World Cup provided them with. Of those surveyed in the Business Club, 42% said they had significant leads to follow in the next three months, as a result of the tournament.
Negative Social Impacts
A negative social impact of the 2011 Rugby World Cup was the chaos that occurred on Opening Night. Fed up fans trying to make their way to Eden Park for the first game of the RWC tournament were forced to break out of stationary trains that were stuck for hours and risked their safety to walk along the tracks. A series of problems with public transport, mainly overcrowding, meant that an estimated 2000 people were late for the Opening Ceremony and the game. Many people missed the Opening Ceremony altogether which was a huge negative social impact as it was the sole reason many fans chose to attend the first game. However, this was only a short term negative social impact of the Rugby World Cup as transport for the rest of the tournament was managed well.