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Survey shows film censorship standards acceptable
The public is generally satisfied with the existing film classification system and censorship standards, according to a biennial survey commissioned by the Television and Entertainment Licensing Authority (TELA).
The survey which took place between April and June, covered a sample of 543 members of the public of different age and sex groups, education levels and occupations. They included 63 young persons aged between 13 and 17, 160 parents with children under 17, and 320 other adults.
Results of the survey which were released today (Friday) indicated that 95 per cent of the respondents showed wide support and acceptance of the existing system while 81 per cent considered the new categories IIA and IIB helpful in the selection of films, both for themselves and for their children.
On film censorship standards, the respondents' declared attitudes were different from their reactions to film segments shown to them.
Respondents' general attitude was that 32 per cent considered the current censorship standards just right, 25 per cent considered the standards strict and 39 per cent considered them lenient.
However, after viewing segments of films already classified, the respondents' actual assessments confirmed that TELA's film censorship standards were broadly in line with community expectations.
Out of the 36 film segments featuring either sexuality, violence, horror, objectionable language, offensive behaviour or triad depiction, the respondents considered TELA's censorship decisions in 27 cases as appropriate, six cases as strict and three cases as lenient.
Censorship standards on film dialogues were generally endorsed. Of the 16 dialogues studied in the survey, the respondents considered TELA's decisions appropriate in eight cases, strict in two cases and lenient in five cases. There was a higher tolerance level for foul expressions in languages other than Cantonese.
The survey further showed that 63 per cent of the young persons interviewed had seen Category III films at either their homes or their friends' homes, but not in cinemas.