Over 99 percent of Chinese participating in the latest survey released by the Global Times Research Center on Friday have watched the Winter Olympics live or via video on demand. Experts said the attention paid to the Beijing Olympics is incomparable.
The survey, titled “Public awareness of Beijing 2022,” was conducted from February 16 to 18, with a total of 1,351 responses from people aged 12 to 60 and covering 12 cities in the country including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu. It showed that both the live broadcasts and videos of Beijing 2022 received high attention from respondents, with 99.6 percent of respondents having watched live or via on-demand mini-videos of the event.
Zhang Yiwu, a professor of cultural studies at Peking University, told the Global Times on Friday that the attention paid to the Beijing Olympics is “incomparable” and the result of the poll coincides with people’s expectations.
The survey shows that 74.1 percent of respondents had watched live programs and 70.5 percent of them watched replays or on-demand videos. More than 60 percent of respondents watched the opening ceremony.
Nearly a quarter of respondents believe China is likely to formulate a world-leading fashion trend in sports.
This year’s Olympics seems to have more aspects of “youth” as many young people attended the Games, which also featured young stars like Gu Ailing and Su Yiming, Zhang said, noting that these young athletes are “more energetic and close to the public.”
Moreover, the organization and environment also fit the young generation’s tastes, including the design of the mascot Bing Dwen Dwen, which has gained popularity globally. The design of the venues, the opening ceremony and the high-technologies adopted as well as the concept of a green Olympics… all these have touched young people and the world, said Zhang.
The tech and mascots Bing Dwen Dwen and Shuey Rhon Rhon are considered to be the most fashionable elements of the Winter Olympics. New tech such as smart restaurants, epidemic prevention robots and ultra-high speed cameras were recognized by most participants, reaching over 56 percent. The mascots are regarded as the second fashionable element, followed by venues such as Snow Ruyi and Ice Ribbon.
Zhang also noted that the arrangement of the races and the control of epidemic prevention during the Beijing Olympics are at a high level, which also reflected China’s social management and the advantages of China’s system.
Although there are some people who are bearing hostile and ideological bias when seeing the Olympic Games, more people in the world will be touched by the Chinese people’s warmth and hospitality. The touching moments when young athletes from different countries exchange greetings also impressed the world, said Zhang.
Beijing 2022 got the best impression from respondents in the sense of science and technology, with nearly 70 percent of respondents scoring 5, the highest mark. Over 60 percent of them gave full marks for excitement, environmental factors, fashion and culture.
Over 41 percent of respondents have known about or purchased mascots and related items. Among the 12 cities surveyed, respondents in East China’s Nanjing had the highest rate.
Mobile phones have become the main device for people to watch the Winter Olympics, with over 82 percent of participants using their mobile phones to watch the events. 55.3 percent of them watched via TV. A quarter of respondents used tablets, laptops or desktops.
Photo taken on Feb. 10, 2022 shows mascots of Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games Bing Dwen Dwen and Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games Shuey Rhon Rhon made of paper in Shenyang, capital of northeast China’s Liaoning Province.(Photo: Xinhua)
