The Survey's Online Data Analysis Tool
is now available

The Timor-Leste Communication and Media Survey Data Analysis tool allows users to select questions from an AudienceScapes survey in Timor-Leste, view frequencies, perform crosstabs and compare results between surveys. There is also basic graphic capability, and displayed results can be downloaded in Excel format. This tool is user friendly and does not require experience with statistical software. The Data Center has two settings, regional and national, each offering a different sets of information.

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United Nations' Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste's Communication and Media Survey

Timor-Leste is a small island country in southeast Asia. It gained independence from Portugal in 1975 only to be occupied by Indonesia until the late 1990s.  The United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste released a report on its 2010 survey of media in Timor-Leste in June 2011. The survey looks at demographics, the reach of various media, mobile phone and internet use, as well as the effectiveness of some communication strategies.

As a multi-lingual country with over 30 languages, authors of communication strategies need to consider language carefully.  Local languages are the mother tongues of most of the population. However, when asked what language they speak well, most respondents said Tetum, a lingua franca drawing from Portuguese, Malay and other regional languages. Tetum is one of two official languages in Timor-Leste. The other official language, according to the constitution of 2002, is Portuguese. Bahasa Indonesia and English are considered working languages. The survey shows an increase in the use of Portuguese in the media. Because the survey only consulted people over the age of 15, it is too soon to capture responses of those who have gone through their schooling using Portuguese, which was incorporated into to the national curriculum in the mid-2000s.  Bahasa Indonesia, by contrast, was the language of education throughout the Indonesian occupation of 1975-1999. When asked for their preferred choice of language in the media, Portuguese and Bahasa Indonesia received similar responses at around 30%, with Tetun at around 90%.  

Mobile phones are increasingly important to development in Timor-Leste. The survey shows that mobile phone ownership has grown by 600 percent since 2006, making it the fastest growing communications tool in Timor-Leste.  While radio is still the highest reaching form of media and 16 percent of the population is still without access to any form of media, the use of text messaging for promotions and campaigns is growing in popularity around the country. The greatest barriers to use going forward are the costs of a mobile phone and services. These barriers may be easier to overcome than lack of knowledge about cellular telephony or lack of coverage in a particular area.   

Read the Full Report

 The report is divided into the following sections:

I. Introduction
    a. Executive Summary
    b. Introduction
    c. Methodology
    d. Sample Demographics

II. Chapter 1 "Barriers to Communication"
    a. Languages and the Media
    b. Access to and Trust in Information Sources

III. Chapter 2 "Media Reach in Timor-Leste"
    a. Radio
    b. Television
    c. Newspapers
    d. Mobile Phones
    e. Internet
    f. Media Comparisons

IV. Chapter 3 "Opinions on Media"

V. Chapter 4 "Non-Users of Media"

VI. Appendices

The Timor-Leste Dataset is Available for Non-Commerical Purposes Upon Request:

Email: audiencescapes@intermedia.org

Request Must Provide:
1. Name
2. Title
3. Affiliation/Institution
4. City/Country
5. Email Address
6. Reason for requesting the data and how the data will be used

  Any requests that do not include the required information will not be considered.

For more information contact:

Peter Goldstein
Email: goldsteinp@intermedia.org
Phone: 202.434.9584

About PDF documents:
Most computers will open PDF documents automatically, but you may need to download Adobe Acrobat Reader here.

Picture Courtesy of Australia Timor-Leste Friendship Network via Flickr