Photo scandal hurts Gillian Chung's public image: survey

Canto-pop singer Gillian Chung Yan-tung, of the duo Twins, seems to have suffered in terms of public opinion after the nude pictures scandal, a survey has found.

Slightly more than half of the 1,677 interviewees in New Youth Forum's survey showed no sympathy towards the female victims in the scandal, while 36 per cent said they sympathised with the women.

The survey was conducted in mid-February, when the global circulation of pictures on the internet was at its peak.

Regarding Chung, 54 per cent said they had developed a poor impression of her since the scandal. Only 5.2 per cent said they still had a good impression of her. Forty-five per cent of respondents agreed with those who criticised Chung for appearing on a televised charity show last month.

Although Chung was allegedly only one of seven young women shown with singer-actor Edison Chen Koon-hei in the photos, she is the only one of the eight the survey specifically asked about.

Chung said in a press conference after the scandal that she had been 'silly' and 'naive', but did not admit directly that the pictures were actually of her. She was the first of the affected stars to comment on the scandal publicly.

The survey also asked about the stars' influence on the younger generation, with about 58 per cent saying they expected them to be good role models. Others disagreed, saying it was unreasonable to hold all young idols to that standard.

Even so, 48 per cent said their impression of artists in general had declined since the scandal, while 42 per cent said their opinions remained unchanged.

When asked who should be held most responsible in the matter, 35 per cent blamed the person who stole the sex pictures from Chen's computer. Twenty-eight per cent said the person who took the pictures should bear the responsibility.

About 20 per cent blamed whoever uploaded the nude photos to the internet, and 10 per cent blamed the media for publishing them.

A spokesman for New Youth Forum urged artists to consider their social responsibilities, noting the community's high expectations.