Audience research before a campaign
Surveys, interviews and community discussions establish what an audience already knows, whom it trusts, which languages and channels it uses, and which groups are missed, before any message is written.
Social and behavioural science for campaigns
G07 · METHOD · social-scienceGCRI dossier · service level R0
GCRINexus CampaignsEstablished
Method page · Social and behavioural science
Social and behavioural science for campaigns
Social and behavioural science is the core discipline of this platform. It explains how people perceive risk, judge sources, take part and act, and it supplies the survey, interview and experimental methods used to research audiences, test material and evaluate campaigns without overstating what they achieved.
01In brief
The short answer.
Social and behavioural science is the study of how people perceive, decide and act, individually and in groups. For campaigns it explains how people judge risk and sources, supplies survey, interview and experimental methods to research audiences and test material, and evaluates effects without overstating them.
02Console
Survey analysis, in outline.
The working screen behind this method: its structure, terms and states. Names are placeholders and values illustrative.
Survey analysis
Campaigns · Social and behavioural science… · Run R-0626
Estimates stableGCRI · Nexus Campaigns
Estimates
robust standard errors
| People reached | 0.63 | 0.18 | [−0.4, 0.3] | No |
| Knowledge gain | 0.36 | 0.06 | [−0.2, 0.2] | No |
| Consent records complete | −0.14 | 0.14 | [−0.5, 0.3] | No |
| Preparedness actions taken | 0.64 | 0.03 | [−0.2, 0.9] | Yes |
Method card
- Method
- Social and behavioural science
- Sample
- 11,913 obs
- Design
- stratified, weighted
- Label
- MODELLED
Residuals by group
03Application
What social and behavioural science does here.
Social and behavioural science studies how individuals, groups and institutions think, act and organise. It explains vulnerability, risk perception, compliance and collective response to shocks. In information and public trust and society and human development, social science identifies who is exposed and less able to cope, and why warnings are or are not acted upon. It informs equitable design of policies and interventions across interconnected risks. The canonical description is on the STEM Commons.
Pre-testing material for comprehension
Draft explainers and notices are tested through cognitive interviews and comprehension tasks with members of the intended audience, and revised until the meaning people report back is the one intended.
Evaluation with a comparison group
Randomised, stepped or matched designs compare people reached with similar people not yet reached, measuring understanding and observed action separately, with the analysis plan registered in advance.
04Key terms
Terms used on this page.
Each term as this page uses it. Where a standard-setting body defines the term, the wording follows that body.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Cognitive interview | An interview that asks people to think aloud while reading material, to find where it is misunderstood. |
| Pre-test | Testing campaign material with a sample of the audience before release. |
| Comparison group | A group not exposed to a campaign, used to estimate what would have happened without it. |
05Geography
People and services in the Philippines.
Where people live and how far each division sits from a large city's services, shown for the Philippines as an example geography for this subject.
GCRI · Nexus Campaigns · fieldDESIGN FIGURE
06Canvas
The method as a run graph.
Data from the source register feeds the methods; calibration and an independent test gate the estimate and its limits; the decision stays with the competent authority.
Method canvas · Social and behavioural science as applied hereDesign, not a record
Fig. 01Nodes carry their type, metrics and state; connectors show what feeds what; the gates are the validation steps; the timeline is one application. Design of the method's use, not a record of a run.
07Data
What the method consumes.
Datasets and records used by social and behavioural science on this platform, with the role each plays and the label its values carry. Sources are listed in the source register.
| Data | Role | Label |
|---|---|---|
| Opinion and trust surveys | Baseline awareness, trust and media use by group | REPORTED |
| Cognitive interview transcripts | How material is understood in people's own words | OBSERVED |
| Census and language statistics | Audience composition and denominators for reach | OFFICIAL |
| Platform researcher access data | Exposure to and spread of public content | OBSERVED |
| Consent and participation registers | Who took part and on what terms | DECLARED |
08Validation
How results are checked.
Findings are tested through replication, triangulation of methods and pre-registered designs. Measurement instruments are checked for reliability and validity.
| Check | How it is done |
|---|---|
| Instrument validity | Questions are piloted, translated with back-translation and cognitive testing, and checked for reliability before fielding |
| Pre-registration | Hypotheses, outcomes and analysis are registered before data collection; deviations are reported |
| Representativeness | Sample composition is compared with census benchmarks, and weights are reported with the results |
| Triangulation | Survey, interview and observational evidence are compared before a conclusion is stated |
Behaviour is context dependent and may change under stress. Self-reported data carry recall and social desirability biases.
09Connections
Topics that rely on this method.
10Stewardship
Who maintains the method.
Society and Human Development stewards social and behavioural science for the Consortium and reviews how it is applied across platforms.
11Connected
Where this page leads across the Consortium.
12Questions
Questions and answers.
What are the limits of social and behavioural science in this field?
Behaviour is context dependent and may change under stress. Self-reported data carry recall and social desirability biases.
How are results checked?
Findings are tested through replication, triangulation of methods and pre-registered designs. Measurement instruments are checked for reliability and validity.
Are the values on this page real?
The data names, roles and checks are real descriptions of practice. The canvas shows a design of the method's use, not a run; no result is reported here.
Where else is this method applied?
The canonical method page lists every platform that applies it.
Related
Around Nexus Campaigns.
Nexus Campaigns
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