Does a country’s income inequality affect its citizens’ quest for equality in leisure? Evidence from European men’s football

Abstract

Does a country’s income inequality affect its citizens’ quest for equality in leisure? To answer this question, the letter investigates the impact of competitive balance on fan demand (stadium attendance) in European men’s football over the 2006-18 period, splitting leagues into groups depending on their country’s income inequality. Competitive balance has a significant negative impact on stadium attendance in countries with lowest income inequality and a significant positive impact in countries with highest income inequality and the whole sample. Findings suggest that, in leisure, European football fans look for the (in)equality their national economy does not offer.