Information-Education-Participation: Media Use among Youth in Uganda

“In order to be able to formulate and put in place sustainable participatory youth media projects, it is absolutely key that one knows the media habits and media competency of the target group. This is the only way to create projects that serve their need for information, communication, and networks, and to recognize shifts and trends in plenty of time.”

This report summarises the findings of a media use study that was conducted in Autumn 2014 in the Ugandan districts of Kampala, Mbale, Lira, Pader, and Gulu. The study sought to understand how youth access and use media in order to inform a media development strategy that takes into consideration the situation and needs of youth in Uganda. As explained in the report, “Uganda has the second-youngest population on the planet after Niger; about 78% of Ugandans are children and young adults under 30 (national definition of youth, 18-30 years).” In addition, 65% of youth are unemployed. Media can play an important role in supporting young people and should do so by including youth via innovative, participatory media formats, as this will enable them to better fight for their rights and contribute to the improvement of their own lives.

The report explains the current situation as follows: “Although young people are a majority in this society, they have very few opportunities for active participation in the sociopolitical dialogue and their issues are often unheard. In terms of educational and informative content, what the classic media have to offer young people is limited. Many journalists aren’t particularly aware of the concerns or issues of the younger audiences. Available formats are based on superficial entertainment, or they talk about young people, but not with them so media development has a challenging role to play: In order to be able to formulate and put in place sustainable participatory youth media projects, it is absolutely key that one knows the media habits and media competency of the target group. This is the only way to create projects that serve their need for information, communication, and networks, and to recognize shifts and trends in plenty of time.”

In order to assess youth media use and respond to their needs, the study conducted a quantitative survey of more than 650 survey respondents, as well as six qualitative focus groups with a total of 45 participants. The intended population was children and young people between 13 and 24 years of age. The study looked at the following issues:

• Media access: What types of media can young people between the ages of 13 and 24 in the project districts Kampala, Mbale, Lira, and Gulu access?
• Media use: What types of media are used by the intended populations? When and in what context are media made use of? How much time is spent using them? Which languages are used? What gender-specific differences are there when it comes to media use?
• Media perception: How do young people evaluate the media content they access? How do they see the reliability/credibility of the media?
• Information and communication needs: What are the information and communication needs? In what areas do existing media formats not meet the young people’s needs? What do young people want from their media?

The results are summarised as follows (as extracted from the Executive Summary):

"Media access
The results show that radio is still the most important medium in Uganda today. 94.6% of the participating young people from the aforementioned districts have access to a radio. There are, however, signs of a change in trend. Three quarters of the respondents also have access to a TV set, meaning television is no longer a minority media form in Uganda.

The Internet is forging ahead too in urban areas and in the better-educated and higher-income demographic groups. While less than 10% of respondents reported owning a laptop or a PC, according to the survey, 24.5% of women and 41% of men still have access to the Internet. They use their cellphones to go online, go to Internet cafés, to friends, neighbors and family, or go online in school or at work. Significant barriers to Internet access are the high costs and the availability of the technology, according to the survey participants. The study shows that girls and young women generally have less access to the media compared with their male counter-parts. The less-educated and less-well-off classes also have less access than the educated and those with better earnings, and there is, in addition, a town-country divide. The ability to speak English, unsurprisingly, plays a key role in the access to and use of international media content.

Media use
The survey revealed that, first and foremost, young people in Uganda are looking for entertainment and general knowledge from their media. Young men are particularly interested in sports and politics; young women are looking for content in the realms of family and relationships (e.g. soap operas, programs about romance and partnership). In addition, participants look upon the media as a third, extra-familial socialization agent–next to school and the church and, in some cases, of greater importance than either of these. The radio is the most important media form for young people. On average, young participants listen to 173 minutes of radio every day. This daily radio use is largely independent of gender, age, or class.

Internet use is growing, particularly in Kampala, where it looks set to oust radio as the most important media form. The use of social media is the most frequent activity on the Internet. Facebook is the most popular of these, especially with the better educated and those from a higher-earning background. Altogether, 37.4% of male and 19.6% of female respondents said they were actively involved on social networks.

Media perception
A further key finding is that the Ugandan media, both state-run and private, enjoy a high level of trust amongst users. The lower-earning and less well-educated groups tend to place more trust in the local state-run media. The higher-earning classes and youth with a broader palette of media access are more likely to turn to international media and the Internet, in particular for foreign news and reports.

Information and communication needs
Participation levels (e.g. membership in listeners’ clubs, taking part in call-in shows) are generally very low amongst the young survey respondents, independent of gender, socioeconomic class, age, or district. The focus groups did demonstrate, however, that there is an interest in interactive formats. When asked, respondents wanted better information services, particularly in connection with the job market (i.e. job openings, self-employment, etc.). There was also a wish for more educative programs on topics like health care (i.e. HIV/AIDS, pregnancy), culture (local traditions), or family and relationships.

Media development organizations looking to encourage media participation and reach their young target audiences first of all need to make their programs more accessible, both technically and language-wise. They should also focus on the strong desire for education and general knowledge, as well as support in daily life (job search, health care, skills, and accomplishments), while not forgetting that people also want entertainment."