RESEARCHING EDUCATIONAL RADIO IN SOUTH AFRICA :

"FINANCIAL FREEDOM" RADIO DRAMA AND THE MEASUREMENT OF IMPACT ON FINANCIAL

LITERACY SKILLS KNOWLEDGE AND BEHAVIOUR IN ADULT AUDIENCES

Presentation to the EduLearn Conference 2011Ingrid Bruynse

University of KwaZulu Natal Barcelona - 4 July 2011

Background Gap analysis: need for research

showing the impact of educational radio on learning.

Funded project to measure if radio can educate.

Selection of 4 broadcast stations and one control station.

The radio stations chosen

Section A: The pre-produced radio drama episodes.

Each episode was broadcast in the language of the station: Lesedi FM in Sesotho Ukhozi Fm in isiZulu Motsweding in Setswana Phala Phala FM in TshiVenda

Section B: “expert” guest and presenter live for callers.

Station reach

Ukhozi FM: with 6.6 million Zulu speakers, Ukhozi is the second largest radio station in the world, the largest in Africa (second to China

Lesedi FM: This station has the 4th largest listening audience of 3.37 million Sotho speakers.

Motsweding FM: with 3 million Tswana speaking audience, in central and north west South Africa.

PhalaPhala FM: This minority language station, for 837,000 listeners, broadcasting in Tshivenda.

Research Objectives Purpose of the evaluation in terms of scope This project aims to both implement a successful

radio education project for financial literacy and to pilot this through precise monitoring and evaluation of the project in this phase, to develop a replicable model for future use in Southern Africa and elsewhere if possible.

We measured levels of knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviour, as well as changes in these levels from the Benchmark Stage, three waves of qualitative research and a final impact research elements of the project.

Drama background

Meet the characters.....

Objectives Key outcome and impact indicators:

Budgeting Indicator: The % increase in the number of people who can develop a budget/budgets for money management

Budgeting Indicator: The % increase in the number of people who take actions aligned to their budget and plan

Generic Saving Indicator: A % increase in people who plan to save Saving Indicator: A % increase in people who make choices / take

action and save Knowledge Indicator: The % increase in understanding of various

financial products Insurance Indicator: The % increase in knowledge of various types

of insurance: life insurance; short-term insurance; Consumer Credit, Legal insurance and Education insurance

Cumulative Project Indicator: An increase in people who make take actions / make choices for better financial life (behaviour)

Methodology

Recruitment of Listening Groups in second phase

In each broadcast area where the research was conducted, contact is has been established with local community forums, such youth groups, food garden groups, faith based groups, etc, to become a research panel for each radio station,

First discussions to take part at beginning of Wave 2 on Wave 1 topics, followed by quantitative Wave 2, and then groups reconvened to conduct second discussions on Wave 2 topics.

To contextualise the radio programmes in a more tailored way for the individual community groups covered by the different radio stations

Main FindingsMeasurement of Indicators

Budgeting Indicator – the % number of people who can develop a budget for money management

Knowledge of basic building blocks of budgeting is good I know how much money I have right now – 51% I know what money I will have to pay bills – 51% I know how to work out how to pay bills and still have money

to live on – 45% I CAN work out what money I have left after I have paid my

bills – 45%

Main FindingsMeasurement of Indicators

Budgeting Indicator – the % number of people who can develop a budget for money management

Once skills are questioned – confidence drops I CAN work out what money I have left after I have paid my

bills – 53% I make a financial plan or write down a plan to pay my bills

and costs and plan how to live on what is left – 37.7% I write an income / expense sheet or a budget plan, showing

money coming in and needing to be paid out – 19.4%

Skill after listening to Financial Freedom I know how to draw up a budget – 36% I know how to work with a budget to pay bills – 42%

Measurement of Indicators Budgeting Indicator – the % increase in the number of

people who take actions aligned to their budget and plan

Behaviour in relation to payment against budget is low I make a financial plan – 27%

I make a budget – 14%

Behaviour after listening to Financial Freedom Spoken to family on how to make a financial plan – 57%

PhalaPhala 68%

Tried to draw up a financial plan or budget – 24% PhalaPhala 16%

Actually drawn up a budget – 23% PhalaPhala 28%

Main FindingsMeasurement of Indicators

Budgeting Indicator – the % increase in the number of people who take actions aligned to their budget and plan

Behaviour in relation to payment against budget is low I have paid my bills according to my budget –

19% Now able to save – 18% Pay bills and accounts regularly – 31%

Measurement of Indicators Generic Saving Indicator: A % increase in people

who plan to save

Savings knowledge & awareness is somewhat on high side Plan to save as financial situation improves – 55% Intend to get savings plan or join a stokvel in the future – 54%

After listening to Financial Freedom Know why important to save money – 73%

PBS Radio Station:

Total Ukhozi Motswedi

ng Thobela Lesedi PhalaP

hala I need to save for things I want to buy now 26% 28% 26% 8% 35% 78% I need to save because I don't know what will happen in the future

83% 91% 93% 87% 65% 39%

I want to save but I never have enough money at the end of the month

21% 25% 22% 18% 23% 6%

Main FindingsMeasurement of Indicators

Saving Indicator: A % increase in people who make choices / take action and save

Savings behaviour is higher than expected 47% claim to have a bank account 20% claim to have Mzansi account 17% claim to have Post Office savings account

Measurement of Indicators Saving Indicator: A % increase in people who make

choices / take action and save Save with a stokvel 37% - up from 29% Save for the future for something I don’t know about – 58%

increased from 55% Save for tangible items – 49% (down from 60%) Save regularly in any format – 55%

After listening to Financial Freedom 64% have spoken to friend or family about how to save

(PhalaPhala – 82%) 26% have spoken to financial advisor on how to open a bank

account (PhalaPhala – 33%) 33% actually opened a savings account 20% started saving with a stokvel

Measurement of Indicators Knowledge Indicator: The % increase in

understanding of various financial products Know what a savings Plan is – 57% (64%)

PBS Radio Station:

Total Ukhozi Motswedi

ng Thobela Lesedi PhalaPhal

a It is a way to save my money regularly for things I need - Benchmark 79% 78% 85% 64% 81% 95% - Wave 1 47% 59% 51% 21% 58% 82% It's a way to save for things I want to buy, like TV - Benchmark 42% 7% 80% 32% 33% 61% - Wave 1 28% 29% 47% 8% 19% 55% It is a way to save money regularly as a reserve for future or in for an emergency - Benchmark 38% 18% 64% 36% 42% 27% - Wave 1 60% 65% 48% 85% 25% 45%

Measurement of Indicators Knowledge Indicator: The % increase in

understanding of various financial products Know what it means to plan for unexpected – 67% (61%)

Able to select and compare financial products best suited to me – 57% (50%)

Understand about interest 56% (61%)

After listening to Financial Freedom 47% know what increased interest means

PBS Radio Station:

Total Ukhozi Motswedi

ng Thobela Lesedi PhalaPhal

a I get payment of extra interest on money I save in my bank account 36% 48% 34% 50% 38% 28% I have to pay additional interest on money I have borrowed 59% 49% 60% 50% 62% 64% If I have a home loan, the monthly amount increases 5% 1% 6% 0% 8% 6% If I have a credit card, increased interest would cost me more. 3% 3% 3% 0% 0% 2%

Measurement of Indicators

Insurance Indicator: The % increase in knowledge of various types of insurance: Phoned a call centre –9%low

Correlates with low response to Phone Works

Spoke to Financial adviser re insc. 21% Applied for insurance policy – 18% Applied for other financial product – 10%

Main Findings

Preferred sources of financial Information

Totals Bench

mark Wave

1

Financial advice I hear on radio 62%

78%

Family or friends 58% 72% Financial advice I hear on television 47%

49%

Financial advice in newspapers or mags 34%

27%

Financial advisor at bank 31%

20%

Financial advisor / accountant (not bank) 10%

7%

Financial seminars or workshops 7%

3%

Websites 4% 2%

Main Findings

Most trusted sources of financial Information

Total Family or friends 61.8% Financial advice I hear about on radio programmes 60.5% Financial advice I hear about on television programmes 43.6% Financial advice in newspapers or magazines 35.9% Financial advisor at bank 28.0% Financial advisor / accountant (not at a bank) 8.9% Financial seminars or workshops 5.4% Websites 4.1%

Conclusions

Intentional educational media can promote new knowledge acquisition, skills development and behaviour change.

More than awareness. More than marketing

My future research will write up the process of making educational media, as a model for use.

Full findings available from:Ingrid Bruynsebruynse@ukzn.ac.za

www.brightmedia.co.za

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