AudienceScapes Research Briefs

AudienceScapes Research Briefs are efficient short-form documents highlighting some of the important findings from our survey and policy research. Each brief seeks to answer some of the development community's more probing questions within the realm of media, communications and development. You can download each research brief in pdf form.

Mobile Futures: Global Gender Divide

Unprecedented  growth  in  mobile  phone  access  in  emerging  economies  is  the  success   story  of  this  decade  -­‐-­‐  but  what  about  disadvantaged  citizens  in  these  countries  who   continue  to  confront  a  digital  divide?  In  many  cases,  they  also  represent  the  largest   potential  market  for  mobile  operators.  Gayatri  Murthy  digs  into  the  data  so  that   development  practitioners  and  mobile  operators  can  understand  the  disparities  and   opportunities  in  these  countries.

Not a Simple Equation: Mapping How Digital Media Makes a Difference in Zambia and Tanzania

In a presentation to the World Press Freedom Day conference May 2, InterMedia’s Myriam Benlamlih explained how access to digital media does not guarantee access to information, and what lessons this provides to news organizations, development practitioners and other proponents of mobile access. One key lesson: the most effective way of reaching different populations is through a combination of old and new media. Disseminating similar information across different platforms increases the chances that your target audience will receive the information and eventually
act upon it.

See the presentation

Family Planning and Maternal Health in Tanzania: Women Demand for More Information

Family planning and Maternal and Child Health (FP-MCH) are key components of the UN’s Millennium Development Goals, given their central role in healthy and productive populations. Tanzania has made some progress in these areas in recent years - for example, mortality rates among infants and children under five have declined. However, Tanzania has lagged in maternal health, with the UN MDG Monitor declaring that the country’s goal of reducing the maternal mortality ratio and increasing access to reproductive health is “off track”. The AudienceScapes data yield some helpful guidelines for public health professionals seeking to educate the Tanzanian public about FP-MCH.

Malaria Education in Tanzania: Tapping All Means of Outreach

Malaria remains the leading cause of both morbidity and mortality in Tanzania, especially among young children, despite a 50 percent reduction in infection rates over the past decade. Clearly, there is an ongoing need to educate the public about malaria's causes and methods of preventing infection. How can public health officials best reach Tanzanians in need of information about malaria? The AudienceScapes survey data provide some clues.

Tanzania: A Snapshot of News and Information Access and Sharing

How do Tanzanians ACCESS information? And what are their OPINIONS on the information sources accessible to them? How do they SHARE the information accessible to them? This AudienceScapes Research Brief helps development practitioners understand the information landscape in Tanzania to better plan their communication strategies. Click here to see the brief.

Tanzania: Public Opinion on MDGs Reflects Progress In Education Made In Last Decade

The survey results from the 2010 AudienceScapes survey in Tanzania helps shed light on the countries progress on key Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and development priorities as viewed by its citizens. Rural-urban differences on development priorities reflected differences in access to amenities. Click here to see more....

HIV/AIDS Education in Tanzania: Survey Shows Demand for Better Information

Despite numerous national campaigns and millions of dollars spent on education and health services, HIV/AIDS prevalence rates in Tanzania remain at epidemic levels. But what are the best ways for public health professionals to deliver information about HIV prevention to these populations? Using our 2010 national survey of Tanzanians, the AudienceScapes team outlines some key guidelines.

Case Study: Young Zambian Women's Access to Information about Maternal & Child Health

Engaging and informing young women about maternal and child health (MCH) is crucial to achieving the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals by the 2015 target date. But what are the best conduits to use for reaching this important and vulnerable target population? Here we mine the survey data to produce four key lessons on how development practitioners can best interact with young women in Zambia.

Comparing The Health Information Landscape Across Ghana, Kenya and Zambia

AudienceScapes surveys in Kenya, Ghana and Zambia asked respondents about their typical sources of information on four health issues- Malaria, HIV/AIDS, Maternal and Infant Health and Diarrhea. In addition, they were asked to rate their level of trust in these sources. The result is a comparative glimpse of the health information landscapes in these countries. Continue reading......

Ghana: Targeting Young Women in Rural Ghana with Messages About Diarrhea

Children are most at risk for diarrhea, thus targeting women in Ghana under 30 (mothers or potential mothers) and getting information to them is key. To do so, it helps to understand this target group- their economic status, employment, education, and they get information. Our research can identify how to share health messages with this group.


See Case Study

Early Survey Findings Tanzania: Optimism for The Mobile Money Market

Kenya’s M‐Pesa has set the standard for success in Africa’s mobile banking industry. This success has also set high expectations for mobile banking in Kenya’s neighboring countries, especially Tanzania, and expectations for the M‐Pesa model.
What the mobile banking industry has found is that one size does not fit all.While Tanzania’s m‐banking market, with its many challenges,has been unable to replicate the success of Kenya, AudienceScapes analysis from our Tanzania 2010 survey shows there are signs that it is finally turning a corner. Read more....

Zambia’s State Run ZNBC Dominates Radio Listening: What Does This Mean for Information Access?

The scope of Zambia's media environment and consequent access to information is limited by the country's modest level of economic development and the lack of infrastructure to service non-state media outlets. Radio is the most accessible and popular medium. But most Zambians only have access to state-run Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation’s (ZNBC) radio stations.

Continue reading........

Zambia: Barriers to Traditional Media Access and Use

When crafting a development communication program, it is useful to know the profile of those least likely to be reached - that is, those with little access to media and other information sources - in order to understand the potential barriers communicators may face. Using the results of the 2010 AudienceScapes survey of Zambia, this research brief profiles the hardest-to-reach in that country, who are characterized by their lack of access to "traditional" media (radio, television and print). Continue reading........

Zambia: SMS For News and Information in Zambia - Who Gets It, and Who Shares What They Get

Spreading important development-oriented information via SMS has become an increasingly popular dissemination tactic for domestic and international development organizations. This method has been adopted by numerous health and agricultural education initiatives. AudienceScapes Research Analyst David Montez explores the main factors determining whether an individual regularly uses SMS as a news source in Zambia or whether they share what they get.

Research Insights for Development Practitioners and Broadcast Stations

At AudienceScapes, we continue to use innovative statistical measures in our research to help better understand how information spreads throughout a society. David Montez, AudienceScapes Research Analyst identifies word of mouth networks and "opinion leaders" as key statistical tools from our research for development practitioners and broadcast stations in Africa in a recent article for The Channel magazine. Continue reading...

Young Africans' Access to Financial Information and Services: Lessons from Surveys in Kenya and Ghana

Youth and young adults comprise large segments of the population in many African countries. But what is their level of access to financial services-as well as to information about such services-compared to that of older adults? This issue was addressed in the 2009 AudienceScapes surveys of Ghana and Kenya in order to provide guidance to the many development organizations active in financial services and mobile money projects.

The HIV/AIDS Challenge in Mozambique: Who is Most at Risk and How We Can Get More Information to Them

HIV/AIDS is a major threat to the well‐being of Mozambicans, not to mention to the country’s economic and social development. To help development professionals craft
communication strategies for HIV/AIDS control in Mozambique, the AudienceScapes team analyzed the communication habits of the at-risk groups.

In Rural Pakistan, News Options Leave Little Room for Objectivity

Technological and regulatory advancements have led to the creation of a number of new media outlets in Pakistan in recent years, especially in cable and satellite
television and non‐state radio. Yet analysis by the AudienceScapes research team shows that regulatory obstacles, combined with the silencing effect of threats from
militant groups, have limited the sources of news media for Pakistanis in rural,impoverished or hard‐to‐access areas.

Zambia: Public Opinion on MDGs Highlights Perception-Reality Gap

Public opinions on the level of progress made towards meeting the United Nations millennium development goals (MDGs) do not always square with a country's actual
MDG status. This comes across in the AudienceScapes Zambia survey.

The Mobile Money Revolution?

A great deal has been written about how in Africa mobile communications and the use of mobile money has seen tremendous growth in recent years. Here the AudienceScapes team seeks to answer the question, how exactly are Africans using their mobile money services?

Communicating about HIV/AIDS: Where Information is Flowing

In Ghana and Kenya, campaigns to educate people about HIV/AIDS seem to be reaching their intended audiences. The 2009 AudienceScapes surveys in these countries suggest that information about this serious disease is readily accessible to most people—particularly on the radio.

Are New Media Closing the Information Gender Gap?  

Survey data has shown that there continues to be an information gap between men and women in many African countries. Our recent surveys in Kenya and Ghana will help to answer whether "New Media" communication technologies can help shrink this gap.

Radio and Mobile Phones Stand Out in Africa's Media and Communication Landscapes

Mobile phones are rivaling radio as the most accessible communication or media platform in both Kenya and Ghana, according to the 2009 AudienceScapes surveys.

Picture Courtesy: IITA Image Library via Flickr

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