South Sudan National Audience Survey: Nationally Representative Assessment on Radio Listening Habits with Key Findings in Five Booster Areas for Internews Stations

This 196-page report shares the findings of a nationally representative media survey conducted by Forcier Conulting for Internews in South Sudan. Approximately 3,300 individuals were surveyed across South Sudan's 10 states, along with 6 booster samples focusing on broadcast areas covered by five radio stations being managed by Internews, plus one additional area. The study sought to gather information about South Sudan’s media environment, including: "a socio-demographic profile of radio listeners and non-listeners alike, their information needs, general media consumption patterns, access to specific media sources, and radio listening behaviours (including their awareness of and preferences for specific stations, programs, and presenters)." It also sought to better understand knowledge and behaviours related to critical 'indicator' issues in the areas of civic awareness, public health, and gender equality. The study was intended to serve as an index that can be used to measure the potential impacts of radio and other media/information sources.

The report cites the following as significant findings:

• "As expected, the general media environment in South Sudan is highly varied, with sharp distinctions between the capital city of Juba and the rest of the country, which is largely rural. A key difference here involves language use and understanding, with rural areas dominated by local/tribal languages while the vast majority of people who can speak and understand Classical/Simple Arabic and/or English live in Juba."
• "Radio remains the most accessible source of information for the vast majority of people in South Sudan, though [once again] males and younger generations have greater access to radio as well as to other technology-based sources of information."
• "Despite the popularity of radio as an information source, just over half of South Sudanese are non-listeners, largely because they do not own or have access to a radio. Since lack of access/ ownership applies to an even greater extent with respect to other technological devices (i.e., mobile phone, television, or computer/internet), many people get their information by relying solely on their personal social networks and via face-to-face communication."
• "Radio listeners have few other sources of information beyond the radio; in the 6 months leading up to the survey, the percentages of listeners who had never accessed other sources of information were notably high (86% had never accessed the internet; 80% had never read a newspaper or magazine; 68% had never watched television; and 37% had never used a mobile phone)."
• "The vast majority of non-listeners were from rural areas, engaged in farming activities, and tended to be older. In addition, non-listeners were less likely to be literate or to have had any formal education: only 22% of non-listeners can read, as opposed to 56% of listeners; and 75% of non-listeners have never attended school, as compared to 35% of listeners."
• "At the national level, Radio Miraya dominates the market. However, community-based radio stations consistently top the local market over any other station within their individual broadcast ranges."
• "In general, radio listeners show a strong preference for news programmes with a particular focus on local and national news."
• "Listening to the radio is a relatively personal, home-based activity; it is not a public or shared medium and listening is rarely a group activity beyond one’s immediate social network of family and friends."
• "Radio listeners in South Sudan tend to rely on radio as their only source of information, which is reflected in terms of their exposure to critical information in such areas as civic awareness, women’s issues, and public health."
• "There is strong evidence to suggest that radio (including community radio) is having a positive impact on listeners, who scored significantly higher on political knowledge and gender equality indexes specifically developed as part of this survey."

According to the report, radio in South Sudan has tremendous potential to inform people and facilitate dialogue around issues such as civic awareness, gender equality, and public health. Certain groups however present particular challenges as they lack access to radios and other technologies, for example older people and women. This requires better understanding and considered approaches.

The study found that due to their popularity, community radio stations in particular have significant potential to reach the largest number of people in their broadcast area, as well as have the greatest social impact. Data on listener preferences found a strong interest in news and information at the local level, “which clearly diminishes as the focus moves outward towards the national and international levels. “ This indicates an opportunity for community stations to respond to this need for local content.

The study further found that people are very loyal to the stations that the listen to, therefore "an intensive marketing/promotion campaign on the part of community radio stations combined with a strategy to address access issues can be especially rewarding for both the media sector and, most importantly, the people of South Sudan."

The report also includes station profiles and findings for 6 booster areas. The five radio stations sponsored by Internews are Eye Radio, Mayardit FM, Naath FM, Sobat FM (formerly Naath FM—Nasir), and Nhomlaau FM. Internews also conducted a booster sample in Kapoeta, as a potentially new location for a future station. The report shares detailed findings in terms of listeners and listening habits on these booster areas. Overall, the report states that "Internews’ listenership, even above radio listenership overall, comes out as a significant predictive factor for greater knowledge in both the political and health indices. “