AudiencScapes

The AudienceScapes team is currently conducting preliminary research on the project's recent Zambia survey (implemented April 2010). Here is one the interesting points we have recently discovered in our dataset. Stay tuned to our Featured Chart section for more insights and for our upcoming full reports.

Zambia’s nine provinces [1] show varying degrees of economic development. Access to media and communication devices also varies according to the level of economic development within the province.

Radio is the most effective method to reach Zambians across all its nine provinces; but the source of energy used to power radio units varies greatly depending on the level of economic development within the province.

Respondents within provinces with high and low access to radio units at home [2] also have similarly parallel human development rankings. The chart above lists the most common methods of powering radio units to illustrate how source of energy is an important determinant of access to radio.

For "low access provinces", solar power and car batteries (in addition to the main power grid) are very important sources of energy to power radio units. On the other hand, "high access provinces"have consistent access to the main power grid, and therefore rely on it as the single method to power radios.

For development workers serving less developed provinces in Zambia, solar power and car battery powered radio units are almost equal opportunities for reaching key constituents.

[1] Zambia is divided into nine provinces, each administered by an appointed deputy minister. Each province is subdivided into several districts with a grand total of 72 districts. The provinces are: Central, Copper belt, Eastern, Luapula, Lusaka (capital region), Northern, North-Western, Southern, Western.

[2] Low-access provinces are the three lowest provinces reporting access to a working radio at home (and vice versa for the top three high-access regions) – they were combined into two groups (low and high radio access regions); these respondents were crossed with the question regarding access to source of electricity.