Survey on the West Kowloon

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Survey on the West Kowloon Cultural District
Development Findings Announcement 24 November
2004

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Background

• Commissioned by Sunny Development Limited, one of
  the three finalists to develop the West Kowloon
  Cultural District (WKCD)
• Conducted by the Public Opinion Programme (POP)
  of the University of Hong Kong
• Research instrument designed entirely by the POP
  Team
• Fieldwork operation and data analysis also
  conducted independently by the POP Team

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Research Objectives

• To investigate Hong Kong peoples participation
  and satisfaction with the local arts and cultural
  development
• To discover the publics opinions on and concerns
  about the WKCD project
• To benefit the entire community with objective
  opinion data

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ResearchDesign
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Research Framework

• The study consists of 3 main parts

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Contact Information of Public Survey
Date of survey 22-26 September 2004 Target
population Cantonese-speaking HK population
of age 15 or above Survey method Telephone
survey with interviewers Sample size 1,009
successful cases Response rate 61.4 Sample
error /-3 at 95 conf. level
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Summary of Findings
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Public Evaluation of the Cultural Development of
Hong Kong
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Attendance of Formal Cultural Activities in the
Last 6 Months
N 976
Mean 0.9 Standard error 0.11

• Formal cultural activities stand for
  performances, exhibitions, or other
• cultural activities held at formal cultural venues

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Attendance of Popular Cultural Activities in
the Last 6 Months
N 955
Mean 2.5 Standard error 0.19

• Popular cultural activities stand for those held
  at informal cultural venues such as
• going to the cinema, watching Xiqu, going to
  pop-concerts, watching street-shows

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Summary of Satisfaction Level with Various Aspects
N1,001
N980
N1,003
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Summary of Benchmarking Comparisons
Cultural arts developments
N1,007
N1,005
Formal cultural facilities
N1,007
N1,007
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Asian Cities with the Best Cultural and Arts
Developments
Percentage
N 992
14
Evaluation of HKSARs Cultural Policies and
Performance
N998
N991
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The Importance of Promoting Cultural and Arts
Education in Hong Kong
N 1,008
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Do organizing cultural activities generally lead
to a gain or loss of money?
N 999
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A Recapitulation (1)

• Most HK people were not frequent users of local
  cultural facilities, they were relatively more
  satisfied with the facilities than the overall
  development.
• 30 graded HKs cultural and arts development
  above Asian average, and about a quarter
  considered it above world standard.
• An overwhelming majority saw the importance of
  promoting cultural and arts education.

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Public Opinion on the West Kowloon Cultural
District (WKCD)
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Public Awareness of the WKCD Project(as of Late
September 2004)
N 1,009
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To what extent do you estimate the WKCD can
raise Hong Kongs cultural and arts atmosphere?
N 999
21
To what extent do you estimate the WKCD can
promote cultural and arts education in Hong Kong?
N 1,003
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Expected Benefits brought alongby the WKCD
Project
N999
N1,003
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Most Desired Facilities and Venues Expected to
be Constructed in the WKCD
Percentage of respondents
N 977
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Most Important Factor when Constructing the
Facilities of the WKCD
N 1,004
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Developments of the Facilities in WKCDa
Responsibility of?
N 997
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Cost Incurred for Managing the Facilitiesbe
Responsible by?
N 996
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Do you think the WKCD will eventuallylead to a
gain or loss of money, evenwith exemption on the
land cost?
N 997
Lose money 47
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Desire for the Government to Launch a
Large-scale Public Consultation before making a
Final Decision on the Successful Tenderer
N 1,002
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A Recapitulation (2)

• Publics high hopes on the WKCD project to
  upgrade the citys cultural and arts atmosphere
  as well as its education.
• Practicality outweighed architectural grandeur
  and maintenance cost in terms of actual design.
• Desire to have more theatres, concert halls and
  education centres in the District.
• Environmental impact was the top concern of the
  general public.

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Conclusion
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Conclusion

• Hong Kong people are generally not satisfied with
  the citys cultural and arts development.
• Despite the low participation rate in cultural
  and arts activities, people do believe access to
  culture and arts education are important to them.
• Majority are positive that the WKCD can improve
  both Hong Kongs cultural and arts atmosphere and
  arts education.

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Final Remarks

• Perceptions are perceptions, which change over
  time.
• Different snapshots to be taken in order to track
  the opinion change.
• A need to re-visit the debating issues every now
  and then.

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Survey report soon be available at
http//hkupop.hku.hk
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Thank you