Results of a recent survey show that while Beijing and Guangdong residents have a reasonably high awareness of the issues surrounding intellectual property rights (IPR), the majority of their fellow countrymen know little about the question.

The general index for Chinese people’s public awareness of IPR is 42.1, a comparatively low figure, but the results vary from region to region, with Beijing and Guangdong scoring 46.9 and 51 respectively.

The results reflect China’s progress in the field of IPR protection and the disparities between regions. Region, ethnic group, gender, age, income and education are all factors that affect people’s awareness of IPR. The figures reflect social, economic, cultural and educational differentiation in modern China.

The survey, which was sponsored by State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) and carried out by the IPR Publicity Center and the Media Research Lab of Tsinghua University, covered 31 provinces, municipalities and regions, excluding Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macao. It took four months to complete, and collected 15, 373 questionnaires.

Experts say the survey results may have far-reaching implications for the effort to improve IPR protection in China.

(China.org.cn by Zhang Yunxing, April 25, 2009)