XN000022-1982-06-26 — Page 2

SATURDAY, JUNE 26, 1982

TELEVISION WELCOMED BY PEOPLE, SURVEY SHOWS

****

HONG KONG PEOPLE GENERALLY WELCOME THE ROLE OF TELEVISION IN THEIR LIVES, AND BELIEVE IT EXERCISES A BENEFICIAL INFLUENCE ON SOCIETY, EVEN TO THE EXTENT OF STRENGTHENING FAMILY TIES.

THERE ARE ALSO INDICATIONS THAT THIS POSITIVE ATTITUDE IS MORE PREVALENT NOW THAN TWO YEARS AGO.

TELEVISION VIEWING IS ALSO THOUGHT OF AS RECREATIONAL AND

EDUCATIONAL.

THESE ARE SOME OF THE PRINCIPAL FINDINGS OF A SECOND SURVEY UNDERTAKEN BY THE GOVERNMENT TO ASSESS PUBLIC ATTITUDES TO TELEVISION.

THE FIRST SURVEY WAS HELD IN 1980.

THE TWO PROJECTS WERE DESIGNED TO BE COMPARABLE, SO AS TO MEASURE CHANGES IN ATTITUDES,

MORE SURVEYS WILL BE HELD IN THE FUTURE.

THE LATEST 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 AGB MCNAIR HONG KONG LTD., A COMPANY SPECIALISING IN PUBLIC OPINION AND CONSUMER RESEARCH.

THE TELEVISION AUTHORITY, MR NIGEL WATT, IN PRESENTING THE RESULTS OF THE SURVEY TO THE PRESS AND MEDIA TODAY, SAID THAT THERE WAS GENERAL SATISFACTION WITH THE NUMBER OF TV CHANNELS THE BALANCE OF PROGRAMME CATEGORIES AND THE LENGTH OF AIR-TIME, ALTHOUGH THE NUMBER WANTING MORE AIR-TIME HAD GROWN OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS.

IN TERMS OF QUALITY OF PRODUCTION, LOCAL TV PRODUCTIONS ARE RATED SECOND ONLY TO THOSE FROM THE US AND CONSIDERED TO BE

IMPROVING.

THERE IS DEFINITE SUPPORT FOR SOME FORM OF CENSORSHIP AND PEOPLE BELIEVE THE TVA SHOULD CONTINUE TO CONTROL STANDARDS IN LINE WITH EXISTING PUBLIC ATTITUDES.

MOST PEOPLE BELIEVED TELEVISION INFLUENCE TO BE GOOD RATHER THAN HARMFUL. FEWER PEOPLE NOW CRITICISE, AS TOO LOOSE, THE CONTROLS EXERCISED OVER SEX, VIOLENCE AND TRIAD LANGUAGE THAN WAS THE CASE IN 1980. EVEN ́SO, RATHER MORE THAN HALF THE POPULATION ARE IN FAVOUR OF A LITTLE MORE CONTROL OVER THE LAST TWO CATEGORIES.

BOTH VIOLENCE AND SEX ARE CONSIDERED MORE ACCEPTABLE AFTER 11 PM AND THE KIND OF VIOLENCE SHOWN IN KUNG-FU PICTURES IS SEEN AS LESS SHOCKING AND THUS MORE ACCEPTABLE THAN THAT IN MODERN DRAMAS.

ALTHOUGH MOST