Information at the Grassroots in Kenya: Analyzing the Media Use and Communication Habits of Kenyans to Support Effective Development

This report, published by AudienceScapes, is based on a quantitative survey in Kenya and aims to give development practitioners a concise but indepth description of the development information environment in Kenya. It seeks to offer insight into how information is gathered, shared, and used at the grassroots level.

The AudienceScapes project, a multiyear project by InterMedia, aims to fill knowledge gaps about media preferences, personal communication habits, and the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in Africa and other developing regions. The project responds to a need expressed by many development organisations and implementers to better understand the changing communication preferences and needs of their 'audiences'— the target populations whom they are trying to support. Ultimately, AudienceScapes believes their research will improve development outcomes by helping to ensure that critical information about health, farming, finance, and other key topics gets to those who need it most, is exchanged in the most appropriate and user-friendly formats, and stimulates useful two-way communication between development aid providers and recipients.

This report is based on a nationally representative quantitative survey which was conducted in Kenya over three weeks in July and August 2009. A sample of 2000 respondents was selected from the adult population (15 and over) according to a probability-proportional-to-size (PPS) sampling plan.

The dataset aims to address some of the toughest questions in development programme management: How much and from which sources do various segments of the population learn about development issues? How can we share critical information with target demographic groups efficiently and effectively? What sorts of information do people want, need or lack?

Key elements of each dataset include:

• Descriptions of general media and communication habits
• In-depth sections on radio, TV, print, mobile phone and internet use
• In-depth sections on information access and use for personal finance, health and agriculture issues
• Demographic and socioeconomic status information
• Respondents’ opinions about major development issues
• Measures of trust in information sources and institutions.

The publication consists of the following chapters: Chapter 1: The Development Context in Kenya Chapter 2: Information Gathering and Sharing - An Overview Chapter 3: Media and ICT Use in Focus - Details Kenyans’ Access to and Use of Various Media and ICTs Chapter 4: Information and Communication on Development Topics - Key Development Sectors: Health, Personal Finance and Agriculture Appendix A: Survey Methodology Survey Questionnaire