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Introduction Methodology Results Discussion References Patable Dept. of English CUHK Feb 1998 Edited: Oct 2000 Copyright

Results The imbalance of age and educational background in the final sample is due to the undesirable distribution of questionnaires. Results are thus presented in such a way that comparison is made more comprehensive across groups of different educational backgrounds. Popularity Almost all respondents (95.6%) reported that they have heard of McMug. However, 37% respondents replied by e-mail. These respondents had come across the questionnaire largely because they had visited certain McMug websites. They were very likely to be McMug's fans. Therefore, the result that 95.6% respondents have heard of McMug might not reflect the real situation. To see if there is a great difference, responses obtained through e-mail were compared to those obtained in the library (27% of the final sample), respondents of which should have be selected randomly. 86.5% of those who completed the questionnaire in the library have heard of McMug. Near half of the respondents (48.1%) considered themselves readers of McMug. Yet, considering only responses obtained in the library, less than one fifth (13.5%) considered themselves readers of McMug. In both cases, McMug was nevertheless well known, though not many respondents considered themselves McMug's fans. When asked about how often they read McMug, over half of the respondents (52.3%) reported that they read it "sometimes." Less than one fifth (16.9%) "always" read McMug. About one forth (24.6%) "often" read it. Over a third of the respondents (37.0%) had got to know McMug through Yellow Bus. 35.6% and 33.3% of them had got to know McMug through McMug products and fellows' introduction respectively. 17% and 7% of them had got to know McMug from newspapers and TV respectively. Some of them (11%) forgot where they had first learnt about McMug. Preference About half of the respondents (43.3%) preferred purchasing McMug comics to purchasing McMug novels. One fifth (20%) preferred buying McMug novels. The rest had no preference. Over half of the respondents (56.3%) admitted they liked McMug comics more than McMug novels. Very few of them (6.7%) liked McMug novels more. The rest either liked both (32.6%) or had no comment (3.7%). Of those who liked McMug comics more, 75% respondents considered McMug comics being laughable as one of the factors that contribute to their preference. 64.5% considered McMug comics being easier to read as one of the factors. 57.9% reported they just wanted to relax. 52.6% thought drawings were more vivid. 38.2% thought the drawings were more beautiful. 30.5% liked the language used in McMug comics as it is more colloquial. 30.3% considered reading full text time-consuming. Of those who liked McMug novels more, 52.0% respondents considered McMug novels being more meaningful as one of the factors contributing to their preference. 48.0% preferred McMug novels due to its narrative tone. 36.0% preferred its narrative structure. 32% considered novels more touching, 8.0% preferred McMug novels due to their dislike of comics. Among different sub-series of McMug: comics, novels, maxims, and products, 41.9% respondents favored comics. Novels (18.9%), maxims (19.4%), and products (19.8%) were equally favored. Of those who favored McMug products, most like McMug dolls and McMug greeting cards. General Attitude The most common reasons for appreciating McMug were its humor (9.6%) and creativity (8.6%). Other reasons were its simplicity (7.8%), characters' laughable simplicity (8.0%), its lovely and cute drawings (7.9%), and its funny drawings (7.9%). In fact, as Figure 5 indicates, the reasons why the respondents liked McMug varied. The figures do not show a great contrast. As to the reasons for disliking McMug, there is a larger contrast as presented by Figure 6. The most common reason was its childishness (19.3%). Other reasons were its failure to amuse (16.8%) and its stupidity (11.2%). Respondents gave McMug 6.79 out of 10 on average. Particular Aspects As far as the different aspects of McMug were concerned, 19.6% respondents appreciated its stories most. 17.5% appreciated its drawings most, and 14.0% liked its innocence most. McMug's simplicity (11.6%) and its underlying meaning (10.6%) are some other aspects the respondents liked. Children versus Adults 40.5% respondents thought McMug is suitable for both children and adults. About the same number of respondents (39.7%) thought McMug is more suitable for children. Less than a fifth of the respondents (17.6%) thought it is more suitable for adults. Among those who thought McMug is more suitable for children, the most common reasons were that McMug's simplicity suits children (27.3%), that its lovely drawings suits children (22.7%), and that it does not feature violence and sex (23.9%). Some respondents reported that it was because McMug series is humorous (13.1%) and educational (11.9%). Among those who thought McMug is more suitable for adults, over half of the respondents (51.1%) reported that it was because children would not be able to sense the humor. One third (33.3%) thought the stories are too complicated for children. Other respondents thought the stories are indecent for children (8.9%) or too boring for adults (2.2%).

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