Poll: Most favour less censorship

Press, 1 July 1983, Page 4

Poll: Most favour less censorship

More than half the respondents to a Govern-ment-commissioned survey have said there should be either less film censorship or none at ail for people aged over 18.

About one-third believed that the present level of censorship should be retained. Only 11.2 per cent favoured tighter censorship. The survey, commissioned by the International Affairs Department and conducted by the Heylen Research Centre, polled 2006 people aged 15 years and more, representative of population areas of 2500 plus. Violence and sex seemed to be the main areas of concern.

Other points of the survey included:

® Most people surveyed (53.9 per cent) believed the same level of censorship should apply to people aged under 18. Some 12.3 per cent favoured less censorship for

this age-group, 4.2 per cent none at all, but some 25.6 per cent said there should be more.

0 Most sampled (58.5 per cent) felt minors should be able to attend a restricted film if accompanied by a parent or guardian.

0 People aged 55 and more who never went to the cinema were most likely to advocate the same level of censorship as at present or more.

The Minister of Internal Affairs, Mr Highet, said the results confirmed that the public were largely satisfied with the decisions made by the Chief Censor, and with the administration of film censorship generally.

The exact results of the survey were: in favour of the present level of censorship, 32.8 per cent; in favour of none at all, 28.7 per cent; in favour of less censorship, 23.6 per cent; and in favour of more, 11.2 per cent.