The Team Radio Vernacular: Exposure, Attitudes and Interpersonal Communication about Political Processes

This 21-page report shares findings of a study to investigate the potential impact of radio broadcasts of Search for Common Ground's The Team series on Kenyan citizens’ attitudes related to tolerance, communication, and participation in political processes. The study found that exposure to the programme appears related to pro-social attitudes about political engagement regarding people from different religious and ethnic groups. Listening to the programme is also positively related to interpersonal communication with family and friends about politics and tolerance.

Respondents (318) were interviewed in communities in and around Nairobi, Kisumu, and Eldoret. Almost two-thirds of respondents (196) had listened to one or more episodes of The Team. Fifteen percent (47) had not seen or heard the programme. Researchers measured exposure to the series; frequency of discussing issues related to political, religious and ethnic tolerance; engagement in the programme while viewing; and three attitudes related to intergroup tolerance and political engagement. Political attitudes were 1) perceived importance of "Communication and Respect" among members of different religious and ethnic groups, 2) perceived importance of "Political Engagement", and 3) perceived "Political Efficacy".

Of the 318 respondents, 196 (61.6%) reported having listened to the programme on radio. The majority of them - 162 (82.7%) - listened to the programme at home. Eight (4.1%) reported having listened to it in restaurants or bars. Twenty two said they had the opportunity to listen to the programme in their neighbours' houses. Two listened to it in some other places. Of the 196 listeners, 74 (37.8%) listened to 3 to 6 episodes of the programme. Fifty-nine (30.1%) reported having listened to two to three episodes of the programme. Fifty-two (26.5%) indicated that they listened to more than half of the episodes of the programme. Eight (4.1%) said they listened to almost all of the programmes.

The report notes that the study found a number of small but statistically significant and theoretically important differences:

• Those who listened to The Team were more supportive of Political Engagement than those who didn’t listen to it.
• More listeners (69.5%) than non-listeners (58.3%) reported discussing issues related to politics and tolerance frequently. More non-listeners (41.7%) than listeners (30.5%) reported rarely discussing these issues.
• Engagement was positively related to perceived importance of Communication & Respect.

As part of the assessment, participants were read two brief, related scenarios about an interpersonal conflict involving money and potential dishonesty. Both scenarios leave the conflict unresolved and ask the participants to complete the story by choosing one of four potential actions that might be taken by the main characters. The options range from cooperative and pro-social to violent or anti-social. Overall, there was no significant difference between the responses of listeners and non-listeners.

The report concludes that The Team appears to encourage political engagement, and that listening to The Team can also encourage discussions of issues related to politics and tolerance. The positive relation between engagement in the programme while listening to The Team and the attitude toward Communication & Respect suggests that the more programmes like The Team can engage listeners, the greater their potential for positive influence.