Unity Through Diversity: Self-Transcending Emotions as the Mediating Link Between Event DEI Perceptions and Unity

Grounded in Cognitive Appraisal Theory (CAT), this study examines how perceived diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in sport events foster spectators’ unity. It challenges traditional identification frameworks, proposing that perceived DEI acts as a cognitive appraisal predicting beliefs in unity through the mediation of self-transcendent emotions (STE). A two-wave, time-lagged survey of 359 Japanese viewers of the World Athletics Championships 2025 revealed that STE fully mediated the link between perceived DEI and beliefs in unity, with effects persisting for two weeks. This study empirically validates ‘unity through diversity’ initiatives for event organizers while theoretically expanding CAT by mapping how cognitive DEI evaluations generate sustained psychological outcomes. This research offers a novel perspective by approaching unity in sport event context as a transcendent value rather than group cohesion. It addresses a gap regarding how external DEI perceptions shape belief systems, confirming through time-lagged analysis that these benefits persist beyond the event.