Research FindingsBack


| General public survey | The expert survey | Conclusion |

FINDINGS OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC SURVEY

| Public evaluation of the cultural development of HK | Public opinion on WKCD | Respondents' concerns about the WKCD |

Public evaluation of the cultural development of Hong Kong

The public survey started by inquiring respondents' habit of using the cultural facilities in Hong Kong. Results revealed that, over the last 6 months, 70% (69.6%) of the general and 53% (53.4%) of the booster samples have not attended any performances, exhibitions, or other cultural activities at formal cultural venues. On average, the former group attended 0.9 time over the last 6 months, whereas the number of the latter reached 1.1 times, slightly more frequent than the general sample (Table 12).

Table 12 [A1] First of all, how many times have you attended performances, exhibitions, or other cultural activities at formal cultural venues in the last 6 months? Formal cultural venues refer to the Cultural Centre, all city halls, cultural and arts centres, performance venues, museums, and piazza areas.
  General Sample (N=1,009) Booster Sample (N=311)
   Frequency  Percentage  Frequency  Percentage
  0  679   69.6   163   53.4 
  1  99   10.1   57   18.7 
  2  96   9.8   44   14.4 
  3  51   5.2   20   6.6 
  4  18   1.8   9   3.0 
  5  14   1.4   2   0.7 
  6  4   0.4   3   1.0 
  7  4   0.4   0   0.0 
  8  1   0.1   2   0.7 
  9  0   0.0   0   0.0 
  10  4   0.4   4   1.3 
  More than 10  7   0.7   1   0.3 
  Total  976   100.0   305   100.0 
  Don't know/ Hard to say  28      6    
  Missing  6      0    
  Mean  0.9      1.1    
  Standard error of mean  0.11      0.11    
  Median  0.0      0.0    
  Mode  0      0    
  Minimum  0      0    
  Maximum  84      12    

Regarding the popular cultural activities at informal cultural venues, the differences between the two groups were even more apparent. More than half (51.3%) of the general sample have not attended any popular cultural activities at informal cultural venues over the last 6 months, while only 28% (27.5%) of the booster sample have not. Taking the average, the number of popular cultural activities attended at informal cultural venues over the last 6 months were 2.5 times and 4.6 times for the general and the booster samples respectively. The difference was 2.1 times or nearly a double between these 2 groups (Table 13).

Table 13 [A2] Then, how many times have you attended popular cultural activities at informal cultural venues, such as going to the cinema, watching Chinese Xiqu, going to pop-concerts, watching street-shows, in the last 6 months?
  General Sample (N=1,009) Booster Sample (N=311)
   Frequency  Percentage  Frequency  Percentage
  0  490   51.3   82   27.5 
  1  96   10.0   22   7.4 
  2  107   11.2   43   14.4 
  3  75   7.8   37   12.4 
  4  30   3.1   25   8.4 
  5  37   3.9   13   4.4 
  6  25   2.6   15   5.0 
  7  10   1.1   4   1.3 
  8  6   0.6   1   0.3 
  9  0   0.0   1   0.3 
  10  45   4.7   30   10.1 
  More than 10  34   3.6   25   8.4 
  Total  955   100.0   298   100.0 
  Don't know/ Hard to say  48      12    
  Missing  5      1    
  Mean  2.5      4.6    
  Standard error of mean  0.19      0.41    
  Median  0.0      3.0    
  Mode  0      0    
  Minimum  0      0    
  Maximum  100      60    

The respondents were then asked whether they had joined or visited any formal cultural activities held overseas. Results revealed that an overwhelming majority of both samples (88.0% of general sample; 91.0% of the booster sample) had not done so in recent years. As shown in Table 14, amongst all destinations, Mainland China topped the list as the most popular, with around 5% of both samples having joined or visited cultural activities there (5.3% of the general sample; 5.5% of the booster sample; Table 14).

Table 14 [A3] In recent years, have you ever joined or visited any formal cultural activities held overseas? (If yes, interviewers further asked, "where did you join/ visit these activities?") (Multiple answers allowed, interviewers not to read out the answers)
  General Sample (N=1,009) Booster Sample (N=311)
   Frequency  Percentage of responses (Base=1,016)  Percentage of respondents (Base=994)  Frequency  Percentage of responses (Base=313)  Percentage of respondents (Base=311)
  Mainland China  52   5.2   5.3   17   5.4   5.5 
  South Korea  11   1.0   1.1   1   0.3   0.3 
  Taiwan  9   0.9   1.0   1   0.3   0.3 
  Japan  9   0.9   0.9   2   0.6   0.6 
  Britain  9   0.9   0.9   0   0.0   0.0 
  Macau  8   0.8   0.8   1   0.3   0.3 
  Singapore  7   0.7   0.7   1   0.3   0.3 
  USA  5   0.5   0.5   1   0.3   0.3 
  Canada  4   0.4   0.4   0   0.0   0.0 
  Australia  3   0.3   0.3   0   0.0   0.0 
  Other South-east Asian countries  5   0.5   0.5   3   1.0   1.0 
  Other countries  11   1.1   1.1   3   1.0   1.0 
  No visits  875   86.1   88.0   283   90.4   91.0 
  Forgotten/Hard to say  7   0.7   0.7   0   0.0   0.0 
  Total  1,016   100.0      313   100.0    
  Missing  15         0       

As shown in Table 15, 39% (38.5%) of the general sample were satisfied with the cultural and arts developments in Hong Kong, 13% (12.5%) expressed dissatisfaction, whereas 26% (25.6%) held a neutral view. As high as 23% (23.4%) failed to make a judgment regarding this aspect. Meanwhile, 46% (45.6%) of the booster sample regarded the cultural and arts developments in Hong Kong as satisfactory, as opposed to 8% (7.8%) who held the opposite view. Another 38% (37.5%) opted for "half-half" whereas 9% (9.1%) failed to give a concrete answer. Compared with the general sample, it seemed that students were generally more satisfied with the cultural and arts developments in Hong Kong (Table 15).

Table 15 [A4] Generally speaking, are you satisfied with the cultural and arts developments in Hong Kong? (Interviewers probed degree)
  General Sample (N=1,009) Booster Sample (N=311)
   Frequency  Percentage  Frequency  Percentage
  Very satisfied  75   )   7.7   )   11   )   3.6   ) 
  Quite satisfied  302   ) 377   30.8   ) 38.5   130   ) 141   42.1   ) 45.6 
  Half-half  251      25.6      116      37.5    
  Quite dissatisfied  92   )   9.4   )   21   )   6.8   ) 
  Very dissatisfied  31   ) 123   3.2   ) 12.5   3   ) 24   1.0   ) 7.8 
  Don't know/ Hard to say  230      23.4      28      9.1    
  Total  980      100.0      309      100.0    
  Missing  29            2          

The survey continued by asking the respondents to evaluate the cultural and arts developments of Hong Kong. Using a 5-point-scale grading system, all respondents were asked to compare Hong Kong's cultural and arts developments with that of other Asian countries. Results revealed that opinions were equally split. Around 30% (29.6%) of the general sample responded favorably by giving "excellent" or "good" grade, another 30% (30.1%) evaluated negatively by choosing "fair" or "poor" grade while the remaining 27% (27.4%) stayed neutral and opted for "average"(Table 16).

As for the booster sample, 36% (35.7%) of these respondents evaluated the developments as either "excellent" or "good", whereas a similar percentage of 37% (37.0%) held the opposite view. Those who opted for "average " accounted for 26% (26.4%) of the sample (Table 16). Again, students seemed to hold higher regards and more judgmental in the cultural and arts developments of Hong Kong.

Table 16 [A5] In your impression, compared with other Asian countries, what grade would you give to the cultural and arts developments in Hong Kong? Would you give excellent, good, average, fair, or poor? (Interviewers probed degree)
  General Sample (N=1,009) Booster Sample (N=311)
   Frequency  Percentage  Frequency  Percentage
  Excellent  89   )   8.8   )   28   )   9.0   ) 
  Good  209   ) 298   20.7   ) 29.6   83   ) 111   26.7   ) 35.7 
  Average  276      27.4      82      26.4    
  Fair  252   )   25.0   )   111   )   35.7   ) 
  Poor  50   ) 303   5.0   ) 30.1   4   ) 115   1.3   ) 37.0 
  Don't know/ Hard to say  130      12.9      3      1.0    
  Total  1,007      100.0      311      100.0    
  Missing  2            0          

When the respondents were further asked to grade the cultural and arts developments in Hong Kong by comparing with the world standard, the grades given were relatively poorer. Only less than one-quarter (23.5%) of the general sample gave positive grades, more than one-third (34.8%) evaluated negatively and 28% (28.3%) were neutral. The differences were even more apparent in the booster sample, with 21% (21.2%) giving positive grades, 46% (46.0%) giving negative grades and 31% (30.5%) opted for the middle-point (Table 17).

Table 17 [A6] How about if it is compared with the world standard? What grade would you give to the cultural and arts developments in Hong Kong? Would you give excellent, good, average, fair, or poor? (Interviewers probed degree)
  General Sample (N=1,009) Booster Sample (N=311)
   Frequency  Percentage  Frequency  Percentage
  Excellent  55   )   5.5   )   12   )   3.9   ) 
  Good  181   ) 237   18.0   ) 23.5   54   ) 66   17.4   ) 21.2 
  Average  284      28.3      95      30.5    
  Fair  264   )   26.2   )   124   )   39.9   ) 
  Poor  86   ) 350   8.6   ) 34.8   19   ) 143   6.1   ) 46.0 
  Don't know/ Hard to say  134      13.4      7      2.3    
  Total  1,005      100.0      311      100.0    
  Missing  4            0          

Findings also showed that, according to respondents' impression, Tokyo was regarded as the Asian city with the best cultural and arts developments by both samples (10.1% of the general sample; 16.8% of the booster sample). Both mentioned by 9% of the general sample, Hong Kong (9.3%) and Singapore (9.0%) followed closely behind, whereas Beijing (12.2%) and Hong Kong (6.3%) came second and third in the booster sample respectively. Yet, it is noteworthy that as high as 44% (44.0%) of the general and 42% (42.2%) of the booster samples did not have a clue to this question (Table 18).

Table 18 [A7] In your impression, including Hong Kong, which Asian city's cultural and arts developments are the most well-developed? (Interviewers not to read out the answers)
  General Sample (N=1,009) Booster Sample (N=311)
   Frequency  Percentage  Frequency  Percentage
  Tokyo  100   10.1   51   16.8 
  Hong Kong  92   9.3   19   6.3 
  Singapore  90   9.0   17   5.6 
  Beijing  58   5.8   37   12.2 
  Japan (no specific cities mentioned)  44   4.4   7   2.3 
  Shanghai  32   3.3   15   5.0 
  Taipei  18   1.8   9   3.0 
  Guangzhou  9   1.0   1   0.3 
  Osaka  9   0.9   5   1.7 
  Seoul  5   0.5   1   0.3 
  Kyoto  4   0.4   6   2.0 
  Macau  3   0.3   0   0.0 
  South Korea (no specific cities mentioned)  3   0.3   3   1.0 
  Other cities in Mainland China  6   0.6   2   0.7 
  Other Asian cities  82   8.3   2   0.7 
  Don't know/ Hard to say  437   44.0   128   42.2 
  Total  992   100.0   303   100.0 
  Missing  17      8    

Meanwhile, 58% (58.0%) of the general sample were satisfied with the formal cultural facilities in Hong Kong, as opposed to 11% (10.9%) who were not. Similar results were revealed in the booster sample (Table 19).

Table 19 [A8] Generally speaking, are you satisfied with the formal cultural facilities in Hong Kong? (Interviewers probed degree)
  General Sample (N=1,009) Booster Sample (N=311)
   Frequency  Percentage  Frequency  Percentage
  Very satisfied  79   )   7.9   )   20   )   6.5   ) 
  Quite satisfied  502   ) 581   50.2   ) 58.0   169   ) 189   54.5   ) 61.0 
  Half-half  232      23.2      89      28.7    
  Quite dissatisfied  87   )   8.7   )   21   )   6.8   ) 
  Very dissatisfied  23   ) 109   2.3   ) 10.9   3   ) 24   1.0   ) 7.7 
  Don't know/ Hard to say  79      7.9      8      2.6    
  Total  1,001      100.0      310      100.0    
  Missing  8            1          

Using the previous grading system, all respondents were asked to benchmark Hong Kong's formal cultural facilities against those of other Asian countries. It is shown that 36% (35.9%) of the general sample gave favorable responses, 28% (27.9%) evaluated negatively and 27% (26.8%) opted for the "average" grade. As for the booster sample, findings revealed that 46% (46.1%) believed that HK's facilities were above standard when compared with those of other Asian countries, 32% (31.9%) expressed the contrary, whereas 19% (19.0%) stayed neutral (Table 20).

Table 20 [A9] In your impression, compared with other Asian countries, what grade would you give to the formal cultural facilities in Hong Kong? Would you give excellent, good, average, fair, or poor? (Interviewers probed degree)
  General Sample (N=1,009) Booster Sample (N=311)
   Frequency  Percentage  Frequency  Percentage
  Excellent  123   )   12.2   )   50   )   16.1   ) 
  Good  239   ) 362   23.7   ) 35.9   93   ) 143   30.0   ) 46.1 
  Average  270      26.8      59      19.0    
  Fair  254   )   25.2   )   94   )   30.3   ) 
  Poor  27   ) 281   2.7   ) 27.9   5   ) 99   1.6   ) 31.9 
  Don't know/ Hard to say  94      9.4      9      2.9    
  Total  1,007      100.0      310      100.0    
  Missing  2            1          

What grade would Hong Kong obtain should its standard of formal cultural facilities was compared with that of all countries and cities around the world? Results revealed that only 26% (26.0%) of the general sample gave positive responses, while 36% (36.4%) gave below-average grades. Those opting for "average" constituted one-quarter (25.3%) of the general sample. On the other hand, 31% (30.6%) of the booster sample considered Hong Kong's facilities above standard, 41% (41.3%) thought alternatively, whilst one-quarter (25.2%) thought it was just average (Table 21).

Table 21 [A10] How about if it is compared with the world standard? What grade would you give to the formal cultural facilities in Hong Kong? Would you give excellent, good, average, fair, or poor? (Interviewers probed degree)
  General Sample (N=1,009) Booster Sample (N=311)
   Frequency  Percentage  Frequency  Percentage
  Excellent  58   )   5.8   )   21   )   6.8   ) 
  Good  204   ) 262   20.3   ) 26.0   74   ) 95   23.9   ) 30.6 
  Average  254      25.3      78      25.2    
  Fair  303   )   30.1   )   111   )   35.8   ) 
  Poor  63   ) 366   6.3   ) 36.4   17   ) 128   5.5   ) 41.3 
  Don't know/ Hard to say  124      12.3      9      2.9    
  Total  1,007      100.0      310      100.0    
  Missing  2            1          

Results of the public survey also showed that, 27% (27.3%) of the general sample considered HKSAR's policies in promoting cultural and arts developments good, another one-third (33.9%) thought alternatively, whereas 31% (30.9%) chose "half-half". Meanwhile, 30% (29.9%) of the booster sample evaluated positively to the Government polices, whilst one-quarter (25.4%) thought the contrary. As high as 38% (38.3%) held a neutral view (Table 22).

Table 22 [A11] How would you evaluate HKSAR's policies in promoting cultural and arts developments? Are they good or bad? (Interviewers probed degree)
  General Sample (N=1,009) Booster Sample (N=311)
   Frequency  Percentage  Frequency  Percentage
  Very good  33   )   3.3   )   10   )   3.2   ) 
  Quite good  237   ) 270   24.0   ) 27.3   83   ) 93   26.7   ) 29.9 
  Half-half  306      30.9      119      38.3    
  Quite bad  251   )   25.4   )   71   )   22.8   ) 
  Very bad  84   ) 336   8.5   ) 33.9   8   ) 79   2.6   ) 25.4 
  Don't know/ Hard to say  79      8.0      20      6.4    
  Total  991      100.0      311      100.0    
  Missing  18            0          

In regard to respondents' appraisal of Hong Kong's performance in giving cultural and arts education, 34% (34.2%) of the general sample gave positive responses whilst one-quarter (24.8%) stated the opposite. Similar to the last question, a significant proportion of 32% (31.6%) chose "half-half". As for the booster sample, a relatively higher proportion of 43% (43.4%) evaluated this aspect positively, as contrast to 23% (22.5%) who expressed the opposite (Table 23).

Table 23 [A12] Do you think Hong Kong is doing a good or bad job in giving cultural and arts education, such as music, dancing, drama, etc? (Interviewers probed degree)
  General Sample (N=1,009) Booster Sample (N=311)
   Frequency  Percentage  Frequency  Percentage
  Very good  41   )   4.1   )   14   )   4.5   ) 
  Quite good  301   ) 341   30.1   ) 34.2   121   ) 135   38.9   ) 43.4 
  Half-half  315      31.6      98      31.5    
  Quite bad  187   )   18.8   )   61   )   19.6   ) 
  Very bad  60   ) 247   6.0   ) 24.8   9   ) 70   2.9   ) 22.5 
  Don't know/ Hard to say  95      9.5      8      2.6    
  Total  998      100.0      311      100.0    
  Missing  11            0          

When asked whether it was important to promote cultural and arts education in Hong Kong, a landslide majority of 86% (86.3%) and 94% (93.6%) of the general sample and the booster sample gave an affirmative answer to this respectively (Table 24).

Table 24 [A13] Do you think it is important or unimportant to promote cultural and arts education in Hong Kong? (Interviewers probed degree)
  General Sample (N=1,009) Booster Sample (N=311)
   Frequency  Percentage  Frequency  Percentage
  Very important  398   )   39.5   )   155   )   49.8   ) 
  Quite important  471   ) 870   46.7   ) 86.3   136   ) 291   43.7   ) 93.6 
  Half-half  52      5.2      11      3.5    
  Quite unimportant  48   )   4.8   )   8   )   2.6   ) 
  Very unimportant  8   ) 56   0.7   ) 5.5   0   ) 8   0.0   ) 2.6 
  Don't know/ Hard to say  30      3.0      1      0.3    
  Total  1,008      100.0      311      100.0    
  Missing  1            0          

However, as regards the current supporting facilities for cultural and arts education in Hong Kong, only 35% (34.6%) of the general sample expressed satisfaction, while another 31% (30.5%) were dissatisfied. On the other hand, the booster sample seemed to be much more satisfied with this aspect, with half (50.2%) of them showing satisfaction and only 18% (17.7%) expressing the contrary (Table 25).

Table 25 [A14] Generally speaking, are you satisfied with the supporting facilities for cultural and arts education in Hong Kong? (Interviewers probed degree)
  General Sample (N=1,009) Booster Sample (N=311)
   Frequency  Percentage  Frequency  Percentage
  Very satisfied  59   )   5.9   )   13   )   4.2   ) 
  Quite satisfied  288   ) 347   28.7   ) 34.6   143   ) 156   46.0   ) 50.2 
  Half-half  242      24.1      84      27.0    
  Quite dissatisfied  229   )   22.9   )   43   )   13.8   ) 
  Very dissatisfied  76   ) 305   7.6   ) 30.5   12   ) 55   3.9   ) 17.7 
  Don't know/ Hard to say  109      10.8      16      5.1    
  Total  1,003      100.0      311      100.0    
  Missing  6            0          

Respondents were also asked to evaluate, in their impression, whether organizing cultural activities would lead to a gain or loss of money. Results revealed that only 12% (11.5%) of the general sample thought it would be profitable, while 68% (67.7%) believed it would not. Meanwhile, the booster sample seemed to be more optimistic, with 27% (27.1%) saying it would make money, and 59% (59.4%) holding the opposite view (Table 26).

Table 26 [A15] In your impression, do organizing cultural activities gain or lose money?
  General Sample (N=1,009) Booster Sample (N=311)
   Frequency  Percentage  Frequency  Percentage
  Gain money  115   11.5   84   27.1 
  Lose money  677   67.7   184   59.4 
  Break even  61   6.1   24   7.7 
  Others  3   0.3   1   0.3 
  Don't know/ Hard to say  144   14.5   17   5.5 
  Total  999   100.0   310   100.0 
  Missing  10      1    

Public opinion on West Kowloon Cultural District

The public survey continued by asking the respondents their opinions on the construction, management and maintenance of the "West Kowloon Cultural District" (the District), a proposal put forward by the government to transform Western Kowloon into a cultural region with diversified cultural venues and facilities. Results of this survey revealed that, of the 1,009 respondents from the general sample, only 58% (58.2%) were aware of this development project. Meanwhile, the full-time students' awareness of the proposal was even lower, as evident by only 46% (46.0%) of the booster sample knowing this initiative (Table 27). Those who were not aware of the project were then given a brief description of the District before moving on.

Table 27 [B1] Are you aware of the "West Kowloon Cultural District Development"?
  General Sample (N=1,009) Booster Sample (N=311)
   Frequency  Percentage  Frequency  Percentage
  Yes  587   58.2   143   46.0 
  No  411   40.8   168   54.0 
  Don't know/ Hard to say  11   1.1   0   0.0 
  Total  1,009   100.0   311   100.0 
  Missing  0      0    

Regarding the expected benefits of the District, only 53% (52.6%) of the general and 57% (56.8%) of the booster samples believed the District could improve the cultural and arts atmosphere in Hong Kong (Table 28). By the same token, more than a half of the respondents from both samples (51.3% of the general sample; 55.0% of the booster sample) thought it could serve the purpose of promoting cultural and arts education in the territory (Table 29).

Table 28 [B2] To what extent do you estimate the "West Kowloon Cultural District Development" can raise the cultural and arts atmosphere in Hong Kong? (Interviewers probed degree)
  General Sample (N=1,009) Booster Sample (N=311)
   Frequency  Percentage  Frequency  Percentage
  Very large extent  212   )   21.2   )   55   )   17.7   ) 
  Quite large extent  314   ) 526   31.5   ) 52.6   121   ) 176   39.0   ) 56.8 
  Half-half  233      23.3      90      29.0    
  Quite small extent  70   )   7.1   )   23   )   7.4   ) 
  Very small extent  37   ) 107   3.7   ) 10.7   3   ) 26   1.0   ) 8.4 
  Don't know/ Hard to say  133      13.3      18      5.8    
  Total  999      100.0      310      100.0    
  Missing  10            1          

Table 29 [B3] To what extent do you estimate the "West Kowloon Cultural District Development" can promote cultural and arts education in Hong Kong? (Interviewers probed degree)
  General Sample (N=1,009) Booster Sample (N=311)
   Frequency  Percentage  Frequency  Percentage
  Very large extent  196   )   19.6   )   45   )   14.5   ) 
  Quite large extent  318   ) 514   31.7   ) 51.3   126   ) 171   40.5   ) 55.0 
  Half-half  241      24.0      93      29.9    
  Quite small extent  80   )   8.0   )   22   )   7.1   ) 
  Very small extent  40   ) 120   4.0   ) 11.9   5   ) 27   1.6   ) 8.7 
  Don't know/ Hard to say  128      12.8      20      6.4    
  Total  1,003      100.0      311      100.0    
  Missing  6            0          

As for the specific facilities and venues expected to be built in the District, it is revealed that "theatre", "concert hall" and "arts education and development centre" were the most popular choices among the respondents from both the general and booster samples. In respective order, these three items were mentioned by 22% (22.2%), 14% (14.1%) and 12% (11.9%) of the former group, and 22% (21.9%), 16% (16.2%) and 12% (12.3%) of the latter group. Meanwhile, as high as 49% (49.0%) of the general and 42% (41.7%) of the booster samples did not have any idea to this particular question (Table 30).

Table 30 [B4] Specifically, what facilities and venues do you expect to be constructed in the "West Kowloon Cultural District"? (Multiple answers allowed, interviewers not to read out the answers)
  General Sample (N=1,009) Booster Sample (N=311)
   Frequency  Percentage of responses (Base=1,414)  Percentage of respondents (Base=977)  Frequency  Percentage of responses (Base=399)  Percentage of respondents (Base=302)
  Theatre  217   15.3   22.2   66   16.5   21.9 
  Concert hall  137   9.7   14.1   49   12.3   16.2 
  Arts education and development centre  117   8.3   11.9   37   9.3   12.3 
  Museum  70   4.9   7.1   22   5.5   7.3 
  Academy/ Education centre  64   4.5   6.5   11   2.8   3.6 
  Open-air theatre  53   3.8   5.4   16   4.0   5.3 
  Piazza  44   3.1   4.5   10   2.5   3.3 
  Cinema  35   2.5   3.6   10   2.5   3.3 
  Sports facilities  34   2.4   3.5   8   2.0   2.6 
  Cultural centre/ arts centre  25   1.8   2.5   0   0.0   0.0 
  Library  24   1.7   2.4   6   1.5   2.0 
  Park  17   1.2   1.7   3   0.8   1.0 
  Information centre  11   0.8   1.2   2   0.5   0.7 
  Multi-purpose venue  6   0.4   0.6   0   0.0   0.0 
  Book city  4   0.3   0.5   2   0.5   0.7 
  Art gallery  0   0.0   0.0   3   0.8   1.0 
  Other performing venues  23   1.6   2.3   0   0.0   0.0 
  Others  56   4.0   5.7   28   7.0   9.3 
  Don't know/ Hard to say  478   33.8   49.0   126   31.6   41.7 
  Total  1,414   100.0      399   100.0    
  Missing  32         9       

Amongst facilities' practicality, architectural grandeur and maintenance cost, it is showed that 56% (55.9%) of the general sample believed "practicality" should be the most important consideration when constructing the facilities in the District. In the meantime, "architectural grandeur" and "maintenance cost" were opted for by 15% (15.0%) and 10% (10.3%) of these respondents respectively. Another 11% (10.5%) thought all 3 factors sounded equally important to them (Table 24). As for the booster sample, a even higher proportion of 63% (63.3%) believed "practicality" was of the highest importance, followed by "architectural grandeur" (22.5%) and "maintenance cost" (8.0%). Those believing all 3 factors were of equal importance constituted only 5% (4.5%) of this sample (Table 31).

Table 31 [B5] When constructing the facilities of the "West Kowloon Cultural District", which factor is the most important? Facilities' practicality, architectural grandeur, or maintenance cost?
  General Sample (N=1,009) Booster Sample (N=311)
   Frequency  Percentage  Frequency  Percentage
  Practicality  561   55.9   197   63.3 
  Architectural grandeur  151   15.0   70   22.5 
  Maintenance cost  103   10.3   25   8.0 
  Same importance in all 3 factors  106   10.5   14   4.5 
  Don't know/ Hard to say  84   8.4   5   1.6 
  Total  1,004   100.0   311   100.0 
  Missing  5      0    

As revealed in Table 32, respondents tended to believe the original designer should be fully responsible for the development of the facilities in the District , as evident by 46% (45.7%) of the general and 60% (59.5%) of the booster samples who opted for this choice. On the other hand, those who took the view that the District should be developed by a group of experts constituted around 35% (33.2% of the general sample; 35.5% of the booster sample) of both groups (Table 32).

Table 32 [B6] Do you think the developments of the facilities in the "West Kowloon Cultural District" should be responsible by the original designer, or a group of experts?
  General Sample (N=1,009) Booster Sample (N=311)
   Frequency  Percentage  Frequency  Percentage
  Original designer  456   45.7   181   59.5 
  A group of experts  331   33.2   108   35.5 
  Both of them  51   5.1   4   1.3 
  Others  17   1.7   2   0.7 
  Don't know/ Hard to say  142   14.3   9   3.0 
  Total  997   100.0   304   100.0 
  Missing  12      7    

In terms of the cost incurred for managing the facilities in the District, 56% (55.5%) of the general and 63% of the booster samples believed that it should be the developers' responsibility. On the other hand, those who thought it should be shared among the tax-payers' constituted 23% (22.5%) and 30% (29.8%) of the general and booster samples respectively (Table 33).

Table 33 [B7] Concerning the cost incurred by managing the facilities in the "West Kowloon Cultural District", do you think it should be responsible by tax-payers or developers?
  General Sample (N=1,009) Booster Sample (N=311)
   Frequency  Percentage  Frequency  Percentage
  Developers  552   55.5   188   62.9 
  Tax-payers  224   22.5   89   29.8 
  Both of them  106   10.6   13   4.3 
  Others  7   0.7   0   0.0 
  Don't know/ Hard to say  107   10.7   9   3.0 
  Total  996   100.0   299   100.0 
  Missing  13      12    

Assuming the developers needed not pay for any land cost, but they needed to pay due consideration to the costs incurred by the construction, maintenance and management of the District, findings revealed that 47% (46.7%) of the general and half (49.5%) of the booster samples still believed the developers would lose money. Those holding an opposite view accounted for 28% (28.0%) of the former and 40% (40.2%) of the latter (Table 34).

Table 34 [B8] According to your estimation, assuming the developers need not pay for any land cost, but need to pay due consideration to the costs incurred by the construction, maintenance and management of the "West Kowloon Cultural District". Do you think developers will gain or lose money under this proposal?
  General Sample (N=1,009) Booster Sample (N=311)
   Frequency  Percentage  Frequency  Percentage
  Gain money  279   28.0   125   40.2 
  Lose money  465   46.7   154   49.5 
  Break even  46   4.6   15   4.8 
  Don't know/ Hard to say  207   20.7   17   5.5 
  Total  997   100.0   311   100.0 
  Missing  12      0    

Respondents' concerns about the West Kowloon Cultural District

In order to identify respondents' most concerned areas about the construction, management and maintenance of the District, 8 commonly reported attributes were included in the questionnaire. Respondents were inquired about their level of concern about each of these attributes one by one. The 8 attributes put to the test in this survey were listed below-
  • Sustainability of the District;
  • Impact on the environment;
  • Commercial activities, such as retail, catering and entertainment, in the District;
  • Financial problem of managing the District;
  • Proportion of residential and property developments;
  • Monopolization of cultural activities by developers;
  • Transparency of the tendering process; and
  • Government's neutrality when considering the proposals.

As for the views of the general sample, it is revealed that the "impact on the environment", "transparency of the tendering process", "monopolization of cultural activities by developers", and "government's neutrality when considering the proposals" topped the list of concern, all cited by over 60%of these respondents. On the contrary, only 47% (47.4%) said they were concerned with the "proportion of residential and property developments in the district"- making it the least concerned item (Table 35). Table 36 showed that respective percentages of 35% (35.4%), 34% (33.9%) and 32% (31.9%) were "very concerned " about the "transparency of the tendering process", "government's neutrality when considering the proposals" and "monopolization of cultural activities by developers" (Table 36).

Table 35 (Sorted by "concerned" percentage, in descending order) [B9-B16] Regarding the construction and management of the "West Kowloon Cultural District", how far are you concerned about the following factors? (Interviewers probed degree)
General Sample (N=1,009)
   Concerned  Half-half  Not concerned  Don't know/Hard to say  Total  Missing
  1  67.7   13.9   11.7   6.7   994   15 
  2  65.8   8.9   15.9   9.5   999   10 
  3  64.4   9.7   17.8   8.1   1,006   3 
  4  63.8   12.5   14.0   9.7   994   15 
  5  58.7   18.3   18.1   4.8   997   12 
  6  54.8   14.3   21.0   9.9   1,003   6 
  7  53.0   22.5   14.6   10.0   999   10 
  8  47.4   18.6   23.5   10.4   996   13 

Labels for Table 35
  1. Impact on the environment
  2. Transparency of the tendering process
  3. Monopolization of cultural activities by developers
  4. Government's neutrality when considering the proposals
  5. Commercial activities, such as retail, catering and entertainment, in the District
  6. Financial problem of managing the District
  7. Sustainability of the District
  8. Proportion of residential and property developments

Table 36 (Sorted by "very concerned" percentage, in descending order) [B9-B16] Regarding the construction and management of the "West Kowloon Cultural District", how far are you concerned about the following factors? (Interviewers probed degree)
General Sample (N=1,009)
   Very concerned  Quite concerned  Half-half  Not so concerned  Not concernedat all  Don't know/Hard to say  Total  Missing
  1  35.4   30.4   8.9   10.6   5.3   9.5   999   10 
  2  33.9   29.9   12.5   8.6   5.4   9.7   994   15 
  3  31.9   32.5   9.7   10.2   7.6   8.1   1,006   3 
  4  28.5   39.2   13.9   8.4   3.3   6.7   994   15 
  5  23.2   31.6   14.3   14.5   6.5   9.9   1,003   6 
  6  21.0   37.8   18.3   13.4   4.7   4.8   997   12 
  7  17.0   35.9   22.5   11.4   3.2   10.0   999   10 
  8  16.8   30.6   18.6   16.8   6.8   10.4   996   13 

Labels for Table 36
  1. Transparency of the tendering process
  2. Government's neutrality when considering the proposals
  3. Monopolization of cultural activities by developers
  4. Impact on the environment
  5. Financial problem of managing the District
  6. Commercial activities, such as retail, catering and entertainment, in the District
  7. Sustainability of the District
  8. Proportion of residential and property developments

Tables 37 and 38 showed that the project's "impact on the environment" was the primary concern of the booster sample. As high as 70% (70.4%) of these respondents expressed concern about this issue (Table 37), in which one-third (33.4%) said they were "very concerned" (Table 38). With the percentage of concern just reaching the 60% level (59.5%), "the sustainability of the District" was the second most-concerned item amongst the booster sample (Table 37). Except for the "proportion of residential and property developments", where only 31% (30.9%) expressed concern, the percentages of the remaining attributes were quite close, with "level of concern " ranging between 50% and 56% (Table 37).

Table 37 (Sorted by "concerned" percentage, in descending order) [B9-B16] Regarding the construction and management of the "West Kowloon Cultural District", how far are you concerned about the following factors? (Interviewers probed degree)
Booster Sample (N=311)
   Concerned  Half-half  Not concerned  Don't know/Hard to say  Total  Missing
  1  70.4   17.4   10.9   1.3   311   0 
  2  59.5   24.1   13.8   2.6   311   0 
  3  56.3   27.0   15.8   1.0   311   0 
  4  56.3   20.3   20.9   2.6   311   0 
  5  55.9   21.9   20.6   1.6   311   0 
  6  54.3   20.9   22.5   2.3   311   0 
  7  50.2   19.0   27.7   3.2   311   0 
  8  30.9   28.6   38.3   2.3   311   0 

Labels for Table 37
  1. Impact on the environment
  2. Sustainability of the District
  3. Commercial activities, such as retail, catering and entertainment, in the District
  4. Monopolization of cultural activities by developers
  5. Financial problem of managing the District
  6. Government's neutrality when considering the proposals
  7. Transparency of the tendering process
  8. Proportion of residential and property developments

Table 38 (Sorted by "very concerned" percentage, in descending order) [B9-B16] Regarding the construction and management of the "West Kowloon Cultural District", how far are you concerned about the following factors? (Interviewers probed degree)
Booster Sample (N=311)
   Very concerned  Quite concerned  Half-half  Not so concerned  Not concernedat all  Don't know/Hard to say  Total  Missing
  1  33.4   37.0   17.4   7.1   3.9   1.3   311   0 
  2  28.3   28.0   20.3   13.5   7.4   2.6   311   0 
  3  21.2   33.1   20.9   14.5   8.0   2.3   311   0 
  4  19.6   30.5   19.0   17.4   10.3   3.2   311   0 
  5  19.3   36.7   21.9   14.5   6.1   1.6   311   0 
  6  15.1   44.4   24.1   10.3   3.5   2.6   311   0 
  7  13.8   42.4   27.0   11.6   4.2   1.0   311   0 
  8  8.0   22.8   28.6   25.1   13.2   2.3   311   0 

Labels for Table 38
  1. Impact on the environment
  2. Monopolization of cultural activities by developers
  3. Government's neutrality when considering the proposals
  4. Transparency of the tendering process
  5. Financial problem of managing the District
  6. Sustainability of the District
  7. Commercial activities, such as retail, catering and entertainment, in the District
  8. Proportion of residential and property developments

Last but not least, when asked whether it was necessary for the government to launch a large-scale public consultation before making a final decision on the successful tenderer, a landslide majority of both samples (82.9% of general sample; 90.4% of the booster sample) gave an affirmative answer (Table 39).

Table 39 [B17] Do you think it is necessary for the government to launch a large-scale public consultation before making a final decision on the successful tenderer?
  General Sample (N=1,009) Booster Sample (N=311)
   Frequency  Percentage  Frequency  Percentage
  Yes  831   82.9   281   90.4 
  No  122   12.2   20   6.4 
  Don't know/ Hard to say  49   4.9   10   3.2 
  Total  1,002   100.0   311   100.0 
  Missing  7      0    

FINDINGS OF THE EXPERT SURVEY

| Respondents' evaluation of the cultural development of HK |
| Respondents' opinion on the WKCD | Respondents' concerns about the WKCD |

CAUTION
As discussed in the "Research Design" section, a total of 186 subjects were successfully interviewed for this expert part. Since the majority of cases in this survey came from secondary school principals, special caution should be taken to allow for the domination of opinions coming from this group. It should also be stressed that, due to the small sample size and its convenient nature, all figures reported in this section are only meant for qualitative discussions, and they are not meant to be representative.

Respondents' evaluation of the cultural development of Hong Kong

The expert survey started by gauging the respondents' opinion on the cultural and arts developments in Hong Kong. As shown in Table 40, only around one-fifth of the respondents were satisfied, whereas about 30% expressed dissatisfaction and 45% opted for "half-half" (Table 40).

Table 40 [A1] Generally speaking, are you satisfied with the cultural and arts developments in Hong Kong? (Interviewers probed degree)
   Frequency  Percentage
  Very satisfied  0   )   0   ) 
  Quite satisfied  36   ) 36   19.9   ) 19.9 
  Half-half  83      45.9    
  Quite dissatisfied  48   )   26.5   ) 
  Very dissatisfied  5   ) 53   2.8   ) 29.3 
  Don't know/ Hard to say  9      5.0    
  Total  181      100.0    
  Missing  5          

In line with the general public part, the survey continued by asking the respondents to evaluate the cultural and arts developments of Hong Kong. Using a 5-point-scale grading system, all respondents were asked to compare Hong Kong's cultural and arts developments with those of other Asian countries. Results revealed that the respondents were rather equally split among various views. One-quarter of the respondents evaluated favorably by giving "excellent" or "good" grade, while around 30% evaluated negatively by choosing "fair" or "poor" grade. The remaining 40% stayed neutral and opted for "average"(Table 41).

Table 41 [A2] In your impression, compared with other Asian countries, what grade would you give to the cultural and arts developments in Hong Kong? Would you give excellent, good, average, fair, or poor? (Interviewers probed degree)
   Frequency  Percentage
  Excellent  1   )   0.5   ) 
  Good  47   ) 48   25.3   ) 25.8 
  Average  75      40.3    
  Fair  56   )   30.1   ) 
  Poor  3   ) 59   1.6   ) 31.7 
  Don't know/ Hard to say  4      2.2    
  Total  186      100.0    

Findings also showed that, among various Asian cities, Tokyo topped the list and was regarded as the Asian city with the best cultural and arts developments, according to the impression of one-fifth of the experts interviewed. Singapore followed closely behind, whereas Beijing came third, as cited by 18% and 12% of the respondents respectively. Yet, it is noteworthy that as high as one-quarter of the respondents failed to give a concrete answer to this question (Table 42).

Table 42 [A3] In your impression, including Hong Kong, which Asian city's cultural and arts developments are the most well-developed? (Interviewers not to read out the answers)
   Frequency  Percentage
  Tokyo  37   20.6 
  Singapore  33   18.3 
  Beijing  21   11.7 
  Taipei  15   8.3 
  Shanghai  6   3.3 
  Japan (no specific cities mentioned)  5   2.8 
  Osaka  5   2.8 
  Macau  4   2.2 
  Hong Kong  3   1.7 
  Kyoto  3   1.7 
  Guangzhou  0   0.0 
  Other Asian cities  4   2.2 
  Other cities in Mainland China  0   0.0 
  Don't know/ Hard to say  44   24.4 
  Total  180   100.0 
  Missing  6    

Regarding the formal cultural facilities in Hong Kong, 30% expressed satisfaction with this, while around one-quarter expressed dissatisfaction and more than 40% chose "half-half" (Table 43).

Table 43 [A4] Generally speaking, are you satisfied with the formal cultural facilities in Hong Kong? (Interviewers probed degree)
   Frequency  Percentage
  Very satisfied  1   )   0.5   ) 
  Quite satisfied  54   ) 55   29.7   ) 30.2 
  Half-half  78      42.9    
  Quite dissatisfied  42   )   23.1   ) 
  Very dissatisfied  5   ) 47   2.7   ) 25.8 
  Don't know/ Hard to say  2      1.1    
  Total  182      100.0    
  Missing  4          

Using the previous grading system, all respondents were then asked to benchmark Hong Kong's formal cultural facilities against those of other Asian countries. Again, opinions were equally split. While 37% gave favorable responses, another 35% held neutral view and one-quarter evaluated them negatively (Table 44).

Table 44 [A5] In your impression, compared with other Asian countries, what grade would you give to the formal cultural facilities in Hong Kong? Would you give excellent, good, average, fair, or poor? (Interviewers probed degree)
   Frequency  Percentage
  Excellent  5   )   2.7   ) 
  Good  64   ) 69   34.4   ) 37.1 
  Average  66      35.5    
  Fair  43   )   23.1   ) 
  Poor  3   ) 46   1.6   ) 24.7 
  Don't know/ Hard to say  5      2.7    
  Total  186      100.0    

As regards the respondents' appraisal of Hong Kong's performance in giving cultural and arts education, both the positive and negative responses accounted for roughly one-quarter of respondents. Meanwhile, a significant proportion of 47% opted for "half-half" (Table 45).

Table 45 [A6] Do you think Hong Kong is doing a good or bad job in giving cultural and arts education, such as music, dancing, drama, etc? (Interviewers probed degree)
   Frequency  Percentage
  Very good  3   )    1.6   ) 
  Quite good  40   ) 43   21.5   ) 23.1 
  Half-half  88      47.3    
  Quite bad  43   )   23.1   ) 
  Very bad  5   ) 48   2.7   ) 25.8 
  Don't know/ Hard to say  7      3.8    
  Total  186      100.0    

When asked whether it was important to promote cultural and arts education in Hong Kong, a landslide majority of over 90% gave an affirmative answer, of which over half of the respondents opted for "very important" (Table 46).

Table 46 [A7] Do you think it is important or unimportant to promote cultural and arts education in Hong Kong? (Interviewers probed degree)
   Frequency  Percentage
  Very important  94   )   51.1   ) 
  Quite important  77   ) 171   41.8   ) 92.9 
  Half-half  9      4.9    
  Quite unimportant  3   )   1.6   ) 
  Very unimportant  0   ) 3   0   ) 1.6 
  Don't know/ Hard to say  1      0.5    
  Total  184      100.0    
  Missing  2          

Regarding the supporting facilities for cultural and arts education in Hong Kong, nearly half of the respondents showed dissatisfaction, as contrast to only one-sixth who were satisfied. Meanwhile, more than 30% held a neutral view (Table 47).

Table 47 [A8] Generally speaking, are you satisfied with the supporting facilities for cultural and arts education in Hong Kong? (Interviewers probed degree)
   Frequency  Percentage
  Very satisfied  0   )   0   ) 
  Quite satisfied  30   ) 30   16.1   ) 16.1 
  Half-half  59      31.7    
  Quite dissatisfied  73   )   39.2   ) 
  Very dissatisfied  18   ) 91   9.7   ) 48.9 
  Don't know/ Hard to say  6      3.2    
  Total  186      100.0    

In the mean time, findings revealed that around 70% of the respondents believed that organizing cultural activities would lead to a loss of money, whereas only a small proportion of respondents held the opposite view. Slightly more than 10% opted for "break even" and around one-seventh failed to have any clue to this question (Table 48).

Table 48 [A9] In your impression, do organizing cultural activities gain or lose money?
   Frequency  Percentage
  Gain money  4   2.2 
  Lose money  128   69.6 
  Break even  20   10.9 
  Others  5   2.7 
  Don't know/ Hard to say  27   14.7 
  Total  184   100.0 
  Missing  2    

Respondents' opinion on the West Kowloon Cultural District

The expert survey continued by asking the respondents to estimate whether the District could improve the cultural and arts atmosphere in Hong Kong. Again, it is reiterated that all figures in this section should be meant for qualitative discussions only, rather than a representative quantitative survey. With this prerequisite, it is revealed that only around 55% of the respondents were positive about this, as contrast to one-eighth who were not. Around one-quarter held a neutral view (Table 49).

Table 49 [B1] To what extent do you estimate the "West Kowloon Cultural District Development" can raise the cultural and arts atmosphere in Hong Kong? (Interviewers probed degree)
   Frequency  Percentage
  Very large extent  32   )   17.2   )  
  Quite large extent  70   ) 102   37.6   ) 54.8 
  Half-half  44      23.7    
  Quite small extent  21   )   11.3   ) 
  Very small extent  3   ) 24   1.6   ) 12.9 
  Don't know/ Hard to say  16      8.6    
  Total  186      100.0    

The respondents were further asked to estimate whether the District could promote cultural and arts education in Hong Kong. Only around half of the respondents evaluated this aspect positively, as contrast to one-eighth who held the opposite view. Similar to the last question, around one-quarter stayed neutral (Table 50).

Table 50 [B2] To what extent do you estimate the "West Kowloon Cultural District Development" can promote cultural and arts education in Hong Kong? (Interviewers probed degree)
   Frequency  Percentage
  Very large extent  23   )   12.4   ) 
  Quite large extent  71   ) 94   38.4   ) 50.8 
  Half-half  45      24.3    
  Quite small extent  17   )   9.2   ) 
  Very small extent  6   ) 23   3.2   ) 12.4 
  Don't know/ Hard to say  23      12.4    
  Total  185      100.0    
  Missing  1          

Among the various financial corporations or unites who bid for the project, Dynamic Star International (Cheung Kong (Holdings) and Sun Hung Kai Properties) topped the list with nearly one-third of the respondents knew it was one of the bidders. World City Culture Park (Henderson Land Development) and Sunny Development Limited (Sino Land, Wharf (Holdings), Chinese Estates Holdings and K. Wah International) followed behind, both mentioned by more than 20% of the experts interviewed. However, a majority of around 60% had no idea at all (Table 51).

Table 51 [B3] The Government's invitation of tender on this project was completed. Do you know which financial corporations or units have taken part in this bid? (Interviewers not to read out the answers and to probe by "anybody else?")
   Frequency  Percentage of responses (Base = 297)  Percentage of respondents (Base = 185)
  Dynamic Star International (Cheung Kong (Holdings) and Sun Hung Kai Properties)   60   20.2   32.4 
  World City Culture Park (Henderson Land Development)   42   14.1   22.7 
  Sunny Development Limited (Sino Land, Wharf (Holdings), Chinese Estates Holdings and K. Wah International)   41   13.8   22.2 
  Swire Properties   35   11.8   18.9 
  Lam, Sze-tat   6   2.0   3.2 
  Don't know/ Hard to say   109   36.7   58.9 
  Wrong answers   4   1.3   2.2 
  Total   297   100.0    
  Missing   1       

As for the specific facilities and venues expected to be built in the District, results showed that "theatre", "concert hall" and "arts education and development centre" were the most popular choices, with about 60%, 45% and 40% mentioning them respectively (Table 52).

Table 52 [B4] Specifically, what facilities and venues do you expect to be constructed in the "West Kowloon Cultural District"? (Multiple answers allowed, interviewers not to read out the answers)
   Frequency  Percentage of responses (Base = 297)  Percentage of respondents (Base = 185)
  Theatre   106   18.3   58.6 
  Concert hall   81   14.0   44.8 
  Arts education and development centre   72   12.4   39.8 
  Academy/ Education centre   46   7.9   25.4 
  Museum   38   6.6   21.0 
  Open-air theatre   32   5.5   17.7 
  Piazza   30   5.2   16.6 
  Cinema   22   3.8   12.2 
  Information centre   21   3.6   11.6 
  Library   20   3.5   11.0 
  Book city   19   3.3   10.5 
  Park   16   2.8   8.8 
  Multi-purpose venue/facilities   4   0.7   2.2 
  Venues with low rent for art groups   4   0.7   2.2 
  Other performing venues   3   0.5   1.7 
  Sports facilities   2   0.3   1.1 
  Others   30   5.2   16.6 
  Don't know/ Hard to say   33   5.7   18.2 
  Total   579   100.0    
  Missing   5       

Among facilities' practicality, architectural grandeur and maintenance cost, it is revealed that half of the respondents believed "practicality" should be the most important consideration when constructing the facilities in the District. Yet, those believed all 3 factors were of equal importance also constituted a significant proportion of around 30% of the sample (Table 53).

Table 53 [B5] When constructing the facilities of the "West Kowloon Cultural District", which factor is the most important? Facilities' practicality, architectural grandeur, or maintenance cost?
   Frequency  Percentage
  Practicality  91   50.6 
  Architectural grandeur  17   9.4 
  Maintenance cost  8   4.4 
  Same importance in all 3 factors  55   30.6 
  Don't know/ Hard to say  9   5.0 
  Total  180   100.0 
  Missing  6    

As for whether the tax-payers or developers should be held responsible for the cost incurred of managing the facilities in the District, opinions were split, with slightly more than one-quarter of the respondents choosing either one. On the other hand, 23% of the respondents thought that the cost should be borne by both parties (Table 54).

Table 54 [B6] Concerning the cost incurred by managing the facilities in the "West Kowloon Cultural District", do you think it should be responsible by tax-payers or developers?
   Frequency  Percentage
  Developers  49   27.2 
  Tax-payers  47   26.1 
   Both of them  41   22.8 
  Users  2   1.1 
   Users and tax payers  2   1.1 
  Others  7   3.9 
  Don't know/ Hard to say  32   17.8 
  Total  180   100.0 
  Missing  6    

Assuming the developers needed not pay for any land cost, but they needed to pay due consideration to the costs incurred by the construction, maintenance and management of the District, findings revealed that around 40% of the respondents still believed the developers would end up with a deficit, while one-third thought that there would be a profit and one-fifth failed to make a judgment (Table 55).

Table 55 [B7] According to your estimation, assuming the developers need not pay for any land cost, but need to pay due consideration to the costs incurred by the construction, maintenance and management of the "West Kowloon Cultural District". Do you think developers will gain or lose money under this proposal?
   Frequency  Percentage
  Gain money  62   33.5 
  Lose money  72   38.9 
  Break even  13   7.0 
  Others  1   0.5 
  Don't know/ Hard to say  37   20.0 
  Total  185   100.0 
  Missing  1    

Respondents' concerns about the West Kowloon Cultural District

Consistent with the public survey, in order to identify the respondents' most concerned areas about the construction, management and maintenance of the District, 8 commonly reported attributes were included in the questionnaire. Respondents were inquired about their level of concern about each of these attributes one by one. Please refer to 3.3.1 for descriptions of the 8 attributes, and take note that all results in this part should be analyzed in a qualitative way, and all figures should be treated as reference for further studies only.

Findings of expert survey revealed that, among the 8 attributes listed above, the "government's neutrality when considering the proposals" topped the list, with nearly 90% of the respondents showing concern. "Transparency of the tendering process", "sustainability of the District" and "impact on the environment" followed behind, each attaining a "concern level" of around 85%. On the contrary, "commercial activities, such as retail, catering and entertainment, in the District" seemed to be the least concerned factor among the respondents, with a "concern level" of 63% only (Table 56).

Table 56 (Sorted by "concerned" percentage, in descending order) [B8-B15] Regarding the construction and management of the "West Kowloon Cultural District", how far are you concerned about the following factors? (Interviewers probed degree)
   Concerned  Half-half  Not concerned  Don't know/Hard to say  Total  Missing
  1  88.7   4.8   5.4   1.1   186   0 
  2  85.4   7.0   6.5   1.1   185   1 
  3  83.8   7.6   6.5   2.2   185   1 
  4  83.2   10.9   4.3   1.6   184   2 
  5  76.8   8.1   13.0   2.2   185   1 
  6  72.0   14.0   9.7   4.3   186   0 
  7  67.2   14.2   13.1   5.5   183   3 
  8  62.5   22.3   14.1   1.1   184   2 

Labels for Table 56
  1. Government's neutrality when considering the proposals
  2. Transparency of the tendering process
  3. Sustainability of the District
  4. Impact on the environment
  5. Monopolization of cultural activities by developers
  6. Financial problem of managing the District
  7. Proportion of residential and property developments
  8. Commercial activities, such as retail, catering and entertainment, in the District

Table 57 (Sorted by "very concerned" percentage, in descending order) [B8-B15] Regarding the construction and management of the "West Kowloon Cultural District", how far are you concerned about the following factors? (Interviewers probed degree)
   Very concerned  Quite concerned  Half-half  Not so concerned  Not concernedat all  Don't know/Hard to say  Total  Missing
  1  56.5   32.3   4.8   4.3   1.1   1.1   186   0 
  2  51.9   24.9   8.1   5.9   7.0   2.2   185   1 
  3  47.6   37.8   7.0   5.9   0.5   1.1   185   1 
  4  42.4   40.8   10.9   3.3   1.1   1.6   184   2 
  5  42.2   41.6   7.6   4.9   1.6   2.2   185   1 
  6  37.6   34.4   14.0   7.5   2.2   4.3   186   0 
  7  36.6   30.6   14.2   9.3   3.8   5.5   183   3 
  8  18.5   44.0   22.3   12.5   1.6   1.1   184   2 

Labels for Table 57
  1. Government's neutrality when considering the proposals
  2. Monopolization of cultural activities by developers
  3. Transparency of the tendering process
  4. Impact on the environment
  5. Sustainability of the District
  6. Financial problem of managing the District
  7. Proportion of residential and property developments
  8. Commercial activities, such as retail, catering and entertainment, in the District

Last but not least, when asked whether it was necessary for the government to launch a large-scale public consultation before making a final decision on the successful tenderer, around three-quarters of the respondents said "yes" whereas less than one-fifth said "no" (Table 58).

Table 58 [B16] Do you think it is necessary for the government to launch a large-scale public consultation before making a final decision on the successful tenderer?
   Frequency  Percentage
  Yes  136   73.5 
  No  35   18.9 
  Don't know/ Hard to say  14   7.6 
  Total  185   100.0 
  Missing  1    

Conclusion

This independent study has found that the majority of Hong Kong people, including full-time students, are not frequent users of cultural facilities in Hong Kong, as 70% of the general public did not attend any cultural activity at formal cultural venues in the last 6 months. Although 58% were satisfied with the formal cultural facilities, only 39% were satisfied with the city's cultural and arts development. A still lower percentage, 27%, praised the government's policies in this area. In terms of cultural and arts development, only 30% graded Hong Kong as above Asian standard and 24% considered it above world standard.

Nevertheless, the public clearly saw the importance of promoting cultural and arts education, as 86% of our public sample and 94% of our student sample considered it to be important. However, only 34% of the general public said Hong Kong was doing a good job in providing this education, 35% were satisfied with the supporting facilities for such education.

As for the West Kowloon Cultural District development project, this study has found that by late September, the project has attained a public awareness level of 58%. There were apparently high hopes on the project, as 53% of the general public said that it would raise the city's cultural and arts atmosphere to a large extent, and 52% said it would help to promote the city's cultural and arts education to a large extent.

In terms of actual designs, 56% of the general public regarded practicality as the most important consideration, rather than architectural grandeur or maintenance cost. Slightly more people (46%) said the original designer should be fully responsible for developing the facilities, rather than a group of experts (33%). Facilities-wise, most respondents would like to have more theatres (22%), concert halls (14%) and arts education and development centres (12%), among other choices.

Meanwhile, around 56% of the general public believed the developers should take up the costs incurred by managing the facilities themselves, rather than the tax-payers (23%), and 47% thought the project would eventually lead to a loss in money, even though the developers need not bear any land cost. Exactly how the developers should make their ends meet, according to public perception, is something which needs further study.

Regarding public concerns of the project, this study has found that respondents were very concerned with the environmental impact of the project (68%), the transparency of the tendering process (66%), monopolization of cultural activities by the developers (64%) and the government's neutrality when considering proposals (64%). Over one third of the general public were "very concerned" about the transparency of the tendering process (35%) and the government's neutrality in considering different proposals (34%). An overwhelming majority (83%) considered it necessary for the government to launch a large-scale public consultation before making the final decision.

Although this study comprises also a booster sample of full-time students and a non-representative sample of experts, mainly secondary school principals, findings from such parts are meant to pave the way for further in-depth studies in future. Although they are not the main focus of this study, it would be interesting to note that the views of students and experts collected in this study were fairly consistent with those of the general public. The students, however, were relatively more active in their participation of cultural activities, especially at informal cultural venues. They were slightly more positive about various aspects of Hong Kong's cultural and arts development, but seemed less aware of the West Kowloon Cultural District development. Compared to the general public, the students were relatively more concerned with the sustainability of the project than the transparency of the tendering process.

The experts, on the other hand, were much more concerned with the government's neutrality when considering the proposals, and the transparency of the tendering process. Among the experts, bankers and market analysts were most critical of the current situation and the development project. On the other hand, while most experts believed that the project would eventually end up with a deficit, representatives from arts and cultural groups, the media, analysts and bankers took the opposite view, and believed that the developers would gain money from this project at the end.

To wrap up, it should be emphasized that all findings contained in this report are perceptions, as of late September to early October, when our fieldwork was conducted. Perception changes, and we may have to re-visit the issues every now and then.

| General public survey | The expert survey | Conclusion |