Short Videos Turn Everyone into Bearers of Traditional Sports and Games: A Mixed-Methods Study from China

The emergence of short video applications ("apps") has facilitated the dissemination, inheritance, and protection of traditional sports and games (TSGs). However, the effectiveness of these apps in raising public awareness and responsibility toward the preservation and heritage of TSGs has received insufficient research attention. This study constructs a theoretical model based on value-belief-norm theory and the theory of planned behavior, employing both PLS-SEM and fsQCA methods to empirically analyze 417 questionnaires. The results indicate that the PLS-SEM method identifies key factors influencing users' responsible behaviors toward TSGs on short video apps, along with the complex and interdependent relationships among these factors. The fsQCA method reveals the intricate interactions and nonlinear effects of the antecedents on users' responsible behaviors and identifies six configurations that drive high-level TSG responsible behaviors among users. This paper extends research on public responsible behaviors concerning TSGs and provides important practical guidance for government managers, inheritors, and conservation entities in the protection and heritage of TSGs.