Insignificant but Essential: The Critical Role of Non-Significant Variables through Necessity Logic in Sport Event Tourism Context

This study explores the application of Single Necessary Condition Analysis (NCA) alongside traditional regression-based techniques, such as Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), to provide a comprehensive understanding of consumer behavior in sport and tourism settings. Traditional methods, including SEM, often rely on additive logic, which predicts outcomes using multiple variables that can compensate for each other. While useful, this approach may offer an incomplete picture of complex consumer phenomena. In contrast, necessity logic, exemplified by NCA, identifies conditions that must be present for an outcome to occur. This study applies NCA to evaluate the essential factors influencing intentions to visit sport events in Bangkok, Thailand, specifically focusing on attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control as necessary conditions. The findings indicate that if these conditions are not met, the intention to visit a sport event typically will not occur. By integrating both necessity and additive logics, this study reveals that all variables in the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) are indispensable for forming an intention to visit a sport event. The analysis shows that attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control are necessary conditions, even though subjective norms and perceived behavioral control may not appear significant in traditional SEM tests. The study underscores the importance of considering multiple causal perspectives—deterministic, probabilistic, and typicality—to achieve a holistic understanding of consumer intentions. This dual approach ensures that significant variables are not overlooked, providing robust support for the TPB in the context of sport event marketing. Future research should continue to incorporate complementary perspectives to enhance the accuracy and depth of consumer behavior analysis in various settings.