Newsletter No. 61

Survey on the CUHK News Summary Report Questionnaires were sent out in mid-October with 4,000 copies of the CUHK Newsletter (2,400 in Chinese and 1,600 in English), and here are some findings. A t the time of analysis, 212 completed questionnaires were received of which 125 are Chinese, making up 59 per cent of the total, and 87 are English, making up 41 per cent. Unless specified otherwise, the percentages in parentheses in the following text are based on the total number of respondents to the questionnaire. Identity of Respondents The respondents are composed of 87 teaching/research staff (41%), 117 administrative/office support/technical staff (55%), six students (3%), and two outsiders (1%). Reading Habit As many as 85 respondents (40%) indicated they read all the items in each issue while 124(58%) said they would browse through the headings before choosing what to read. Seventy-two respondents (34%) discard the Newsletter after reading; 76(36%) keep it only if certain articles are useful; and 58(27%) keep every issue, their main purpose being future reference. Ideal Size of the Newsletter A large majority of 205 respondents (97%) prefer the current A4 size while only four(2%) favour the A3 or tabloid size. The main reasons for preferring the A4 size are 'handiness' （ 49%) and 'makes easier reading' (22%). Frequency of Issue A total of 135 respondents (64%) find the current frequency, once a month, most suitable; 60(28%) prefer once every fortnight; seven(3%) prefer once a week; and four (2%) believe the Newsletter should stop publication. Most Popular Items The four top-ranking items voted interesting/useful by respondents are University news (193 votes), personalia (184 votes), announcements (171 votes), and feature articles/interviews (156 votes). Respondents choosing each of these four items constitute between 91 per cent and 74 per cent of the total number of respondents. The item with least votes, 89, is service to the community and international organizations. It wins support from only 42 per cent of the respondents. Least Popular items The four top-ranking items voted uninteresting/not useful are service to the community and international organizations (62 votes), college activities (30 votes), sidelights (21 votes) and a tie between announcements and feature articles/interviews (14 votes each). Respondents choosing each of these items constitute between 29 per cent and 6 per cent of the total number of respondents. New Columns with Most Potential Interest The three new columns with the most votes of interest are exposition and analysis of University plans and policies by senior management (138 votes), letters to the editor (132 votes), and open forum (122 votes). Around 60 per cent of the respondents voted for each item. New Columns with Least Potential interest The three new columns with the least votes of interest are staff new publications list (41 votes), alumni news (42 votes), and book reviews (43 votes). About 20 per cent of the respondents voted for each item. Pictures and Illustrations Over 80 per cent of the respondents find the amount of pictures and illustrations in the Newsletter sufficient; only 26 respondents (12%) find them too scarce; and nine (4%) find them excessive. Table 1: Readability of Existing Columns (according to respondents) NO.61 DECEMBER 1994 12