Toward a greener world: Seizing India’s Carbon Markets Moment
March 6, 2023
Who says video killed the radio star? In 2019 and 2020, at least 10 million people in India tuned in to Zindagi Mobile, a radio show to help people develop a safe and trusted relationship with digital technology. The show told 10 stories in 58 cities, towns, and villages. Supported by Omidyar Network India, it was created and broadcast by Neelesh Misra, one of India's loved storytellers, and Big FM 92.7, a national radio station.
Zindagi Mobile achieved the #1 slot in Bangalore, Mumbai and Kolkata for some of its episodes, including during some of the primetime airings. But was it able to increase the listener's knowledge of digital technology? And did their attitudes and behaviours change? To find out, the Centre for Social and Behavioural Change (CSBC) at Ashoka University in partnership with the Busara Centre for Behavioural Economics, conducted a randomised behavioural evaluation with 2600 individuals from six cities.
CSBC's analysis suggests that people changed their behaviour in being responsible and safe online (for two of the episodes) as well as their attitudes (for five of the episodes) after listening to Zindagi Mobile. On average, respondents shared 11% less personal data with the research team after listening to the show. And an episode focused on misinformation led to a 70% increase in time that people spent before forwarding messages. However, this delay didn't lead to people being less likely to share something fake.
So, while the jury may still be out on whether video killed the radio star, CSBC's study shows that Zindagi Mobile and the ilk of edutainment can nudge safer online behaviour. The report provides many insights for innovators working on tech for good and responsible tech and pioneers of edutainment programs. It also covers the methodology. Dig in here.
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