Research FindingsBack

| General public survey | The expert survey | Conclusion |

| 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

Impact on the environment
Transparency of the tendering process
Monopolization of cultural activities by developers
Government's neutrality when considering the proposals
Commercial activities, such as retail, catering and entertainment, in the District
Financial problem of managing the District
Sustainability of the District
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

Transparency of the tendering process
Government's neutrality when considering the proposals
Monopolization of cultural activities by developers
Impact on the environment
Financial problem of managing the District
Commercial activities, such as retail, catering and entertainment, in the District
Sustainability of the District
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

Impact on the environment
Sustainability of the District
Commercial activities, such as retail, catering and entertainment, in the District
Monopolization of cultural activities by developers
Financial problem of managing the District
Government's neutrality when considering the proposals
Transparency of the tendering process
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

Impact on the environment
Monopolization of cultural activities by developers
Government's neutrality when considering the proposals
Transparency of the tendering process
Financial problem of managing the District
Sustainability of the District
Commercial activities, such as retail, catering and entertainment, in the District
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

Government's neutrality when considering the proposals
Transparency of the tendering process
Sustainability of the District
Impact on the environment
Monopolization of cultural activities by developers
Financial problem of managing the District
Proportion of residential and property developments
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

Government's neutrality when considering the proposals
Monopolization of cultural activities by developers
Transparency of the tendering process
Impact on the environment
Sustainability of the District
Financial problem of managing the District
Proportion of residential and property developments
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 |