FRIDAY, MAY 2, 1980
SURVEY FINDS TV VIEWERS SATISFIED
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IN HONG KONG, TELEVISION HAS BECOME AN INFLUENTIAL AND IMPORTANT MEMBER OF THE HOUSEHOLD, AND TV VIEWERS ARE GENERALLY SATISFIED WITH CURRENT PROGRAMME QUALITIES AND GOVERNMENT CENSORSHIP STANDARDS.
TELEVISION CONTRIBUTES TO, RATHER THAN RESTRICTS, THE LIVES OF HONG KONG PEOPLE AND THEIR CHILDREN. THIS WAS ONE OF THE PRINCIPAL FINDINGS OF A SURVEY DESIGNED TO ASSESS PEOPLE'S ATTITUDES TO TELEVISION.
THE SURVEY, WHICH COVERED A SAMPLE OF 1 000 CHINESE VIEWERS IN A CROSS-SECTION OF AGE AND INCOME GROUPS, WAS COMMISSIONED BY THE TELEVISION AUTHORITY AND CONDUCTED BY FRANK SMALL AND ASSOCIATES, A COMPANY SPECIALISING IN PUBLIC OPINION AND CONSUMER RESEARCH.
THE TELEVISION AUTHORITY, MR NIGEL WATT, IN PRESENTING THE RESULTS OF THE SURVEY TODAY SAID TELEVISION WAS A MAJOR WAY OF OCCUPYING PEOPLE'S SPARE TIME. IT IS FREE, CONVENIENT, AND IS BOTH ENTERTAINING AND EDUCATIONAL.
+ THE QUALITY OF LOCALLY PRODUCED PROGRAMMES IS SEEN TO BE OF A VERY HIGH STANDARD, RATED SECOND ONLY TO U.S. PRODUCTIONS AND PEOPLE HAVE EXCEPTIONALLY HIGH REGARD FOR THE DRAMA PROGRAMMES PRODUCED BY RTHK, HE SAID.
REFERRING TO THE BROAD FINDINGS OF THE SURVEY, MR WATT SAID THAT WHILE PEOPLE FEEL TELEVISION CONTRIBUTES POSITIVELY TO THE IR LIVES, THEY ADOPT A PASSIVE ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE TYPES OF PROGRAMMES SHOWN AND PROGRAMMES VIEWED IN THE HOME ARE USUALLY SELECTED BY MAJORITY RULE RATHER THAN BY INDIVIDUAL CHOICE.
GENERALLY SPEAKING THE PRESENT HOURS OF TELEVISION, THE NUMBER OF CHANNELS, THE BALANCE OF PROGRAMME CATEGORIES AND BALANCE BETWEEN LOCAL AND OVERSEAS PROGRAMMES ARE ACCEPTED AS SATISFACTORY BY THE MAJORITY OF THOSE QUESTIONED.
WITH REGARD TO CHILDREN'S VIEWING, ALTHOUGH MOST PARENTS SEE TELEVISION DOING MORE GOOD THAN HARM FOR THE CHILDREN, THE MAJORITY DO NOT SEEM TO REGULATE THEIR CHILDREN'S VIEWING HABITS VERY CLOSELY.
+PARENTS ATTACH LITTLE SIGNIFICANCE TO THE NOT-SUITABLE-FOR- CHILDREN WARNINGS ALTHOUGH THEY ADMIT THAT WHEN THERE ARE PROGRAMMES WHICH THEY DO NOT WANT CHILDREN TO WATCH, GIVEN THE FAMILY SETTING, THEY FIND IT VERY DIFFICULT TO STOP THEM,+ MR WATT SAID.
+PARENTS ARE SATISFIED WITH THE EXISTING QUALITY AND AMOUNT OF CHILDREN'S PROGRAMMES, BUT FEEL THAT THE NEEDS OF OLDER CHILDREN AGED 9 TO 15 SHOULD BE GIVEN GREATER ATTENTION.
+CURRENT RESTRICTIONS ON PROGRAMME CONTENT ARE SATISFACTORY. HOWEVER, PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT VIOLENCE AND TRIAD LANGUAGE SHOULD BE MORE TIGHTLY CONTROLLED THAN SEX. NEVERTHELESS THE SURVEY SHOWS THE PEOPLE ARE EMBARRASSED EY EXPLICIT SEX ON TELEVISION AND, ALTHOUGH A SIZEABLE MINORITY WOULD ACCEPT A MORE LIBERAL APPROACH TO THIS SUBJECT IN TELEVISION PROGRAMMES VERY LATE AT NIGHT. THE MAJORITY OF THOSE QUESTIONED WISHED TO SEE THIS SUBJECT FIRMLY CONTROLLED, HE SAID.