Demand For Locally Produced Films By Residents Of Nairobi County, Kenya

ABSTRACT

Despite the aggressive marketing of local films and the creation of policies aimed at boosting their consumption in Kenya, consumption is still low. Attempts to critically analyze this problem have focused on the qualitative content in films with little investigation of consumers’ tastes and preferences. The aim of this study was to identify and analyze factors that affect demand for locally produced films in Nairobi County, Kenya. Film being a hedonic and experience good, the study investigated the effect of factors concerned with film consumption and consumer’s characteristics on film choices. Stratified and purposive sampling was used to select a sample of 384 respondents from around Nairobi County. The data was collected by interviewers guided by a structured questionnaire. Regression analysis was used in which the preference of the respondents between locally produced films and foreign films was the dependent variable while factors that affect demand for films were the independent variables. A logit model was adopted. Results from this study revealed the consumption behavior of residents on locally produced films and factors that affect demand for locally produced films. The study found that increased age of consumers and increased consumers’ expenditure on local films increased demand for local films while increased income of consumers, increase in consumers’ film watching frequency and increase in consumers’ expenditure on foreign films reduced demand for local films. The study also found that there was a significant difference in film preferences between males and females where females have a higher demand for local films than males. Individuals who had reached lower levels of education were found to prefer local films more than individuals who had reached higher education levels. The study recommends that local film producers should consider tastes across the different social demographic groups in creating content of their films. The study also recommends that producers and distributors of films should ensure that the locally produced films are readily available and easily accessible to the consumers.