How Do Debate Programmes Influence Knowledge of Key Governance Issues and Political Participation? A Case Study from Sierra Leone

This 12-page brief shares findings of BBC Media Action’s assessment of how two national radio programmes, the magazine show Fo Rod (Crossroads) and the debate programme Tok Bot Salone (Talk About Sierra Leone), are helping influence governance knowledge and political participation in Sierra Leone. The research found that listeners of both programmes are four times more likely to have higher levels of knowledge on key governance issues compared to non-listeners, and are three times more likely to participate in political processes.

Since 2008, BBC Media Action has produced and aired the Fo Rod magazine programme and the Tok Bot Salone debate show as part of a five-year Global Grant project funded by the Department for International Development (DFID). The shows are designed to foster more accountable, peaceful, and inclusive governance by engaging people in constructive dialogue and debate, while supporting demands for improved services and equitable decision making. This research brief is based on data gathered during a nationally representative survey of approximately 4,390 people across Sierra Leone. It is estimated that the two programmes reached a total of 827,000 people or 27% of the adult population (aged 15 and over) with access to media in Sierra Leone; and approximately 706,000 of listeners tuned into one or both programmes regularly. The survey sought to determine if listening was associated with greater knowledge and more frequent political participation.

The brief first discusses the impact of the two radio programmes on knowledge around key governance issues, such as political party agendas, women’s rights, water and electricity service delivery, and corruption. According to the brief, "People who had listened to both Tok Bot Salone and Fo Rod were more likely to have substantial knowledge, rather than moderate knowledge, compared with those who did not listen." The project’s theoretical framework assumes that knowledge related to governance is a prerequisite to effective and engaged political participation, and the data supports the idea that knowledge is being translated into action. For example, "people who regularly listened to Tok Bot Salone were more likely to report participating frequently in politics, rather than not participating, through contacting a national or local official, taking part in an organised effort to solve a problem and/or attending a local council meeting, compared with people who did not listen to the programme."

The brief observes that while these findings are not conclusive, they point to positive trends resulting from listening to the two radio programmes. Further analysis is needed to better understand levels of exposure, knowledge, and political participation, but evidence is demonstrating that for individuals, the programmes are "making a real difference to their knowledge and the ways in which they are able to participate and exercise their rights." Click here to download the full case study in PDF Format.