Singaporeans ‘satisfied with media content’
When it comes to reality television, documentary and news programmes, younger Singaporeans are slightly more critical compared with older Singaporeans. — Reuters picSINGAPORE, Sept 19 — About a third of Singaporeans interviewed in a recent survey believe that most or all of the information they see on websites such as blogs or Wikipedia are true, while the highest proportion of respondents who are undiscerning consumers of online news information — about 40 per cent — are in the 15 to 19 age category, the Media Development Authority (MDA) said yesterday.
The MDA’s first Consumer Experience Study also found that, when it comes to reality television, documentary and news programmes, younger Singaporeans — those aged between 25 and 29 — are slightly more critical compared with older Singaporeans, aged between 50 and 54, more of whom believe that these programmes show a true picture of what really happened.
The study was commissioned in order to gain consumer feedback on various aspects of media content and services across broadcast, print and online platforms.
It was conducted by the Nanyang Technological University’s Singapore Internet Research Centre, which conducted 1,030 face-to-face interviews with a sample aligned to the demographic profile of the 2010 population census.
The study, which the MDA said it will conduct annually, also involved focus group discussions and was carried out from last September to January this year.
Among other findings released yesterday: Consumers are generally satisfied with both the quality and variety of media content here, with cable television and local newspapers registering the highest and second-highest satisfaction scores for both categories.
The study also had a high overall media satisfaction index of 72 per cent.
The index includes reliability and customer service standards for media services in Singapore.
For broadcast media, meanwhile, the survey found that consumers were generally satisfied with the customer service standards of local broadcasters, with the satisfaction index at 71 per cent for MediaCorp, compared to 70 per cent for StarHub TV and 69 per cent for Mio TV.
In terms of its content and programmes, the overall satisfaction index for MediaCorp channels is at 69 per cent.
Some 86 per cent of the respondents felt that no particular MediaCorp channel had worsened over the past year, while 45 per cent of respondents also felt that no particular channel had improved over the past year.
The MDA said yesterday that the results of the study with regard to media credibility “points to a need for greater public education on media literacy”.
Speaking to Today, Alfred Siew, a part-time instructor with the National University of Singapore’s department of Communications and New Media, felt that “it is always better to make sure that people ask whether information is accurate, balanced and fair”.
Siew, a member of the Media Literacy Council, added: “They can start by looking at the source of the information and by comparing it with other sources. That’s the most basic.
“Information is free today, but making sense of information is a skill.” — Today
