Use of Sex in Chinese and British Television Advertising: a Cross-national Comparison Work

This study compared the use of sexual content in television advertisements on Britain and China. More than 2,400 advertisements were sampled from two commercial television channels in Britain and more than 3,000 from three commercial television channels in China over two-week sampling periods in each country. The analysis measured the prevalence and amount of sexual content in each national sample and compared this content in terms of the nature of the sexual material displayed. Results showed that the presence of sex in televised advertising was more prevalent in Britain than in China and that there was a greater quantity of sexual content in British advertisements. Few British advertisements and none in China contained nudity, but there was a greater variety of sexual behaviour displayed in British advertisements across a wider range of settings and product types. In both countries, there was a greater tendency to display sexual themes in advertisements broadcast late in the evening, after 9pm. Cultural mores in each country have created differing levels of tolerance for sexual content in advertisements.