Community messaging and civic participation research

SECTOR

Governance | Political Behavior

PROJECT TYPE

Field and Lab Experiments

DOI

Location

Uganda

BEHAVIORAL THEME

Prosocial behavior | Altruism | Action

OVERVIEW

The Community Messaging Civic Participation (CMCP) initiative in Uganda, aims to understand civic engagement through focusing on community challenges, charitable behaviors, barriers, and motivators. Cooperatives, social norms, and community meetings act as levers for civic engagement, while financial constraints, non-cooperation, and limited attention serve as barriers. Understanding demographics, motivations, and existing social structures help build effective strategies for encouraging prosocial behaviors and civic participation.

THEMATIC AREAS

This research findings highlight key points regarding community-oriented prosocial behavior and civic engagement in Uganda:

Understanding community-oriented prosocial behavior is crucial for unpacking citizen profiles and behaviors related to civic engagement.
Different types of citizens form smaller communities within the broader concept of community.
Citizen engagement in prosocial behavior is driven by specific causes of interest, with youth unemployment being a major concern in peri-urban areas.
Prosocial behavior is predominantly conducted within immediate geographical communities, while civic actions are limited at the national level due to self-efficacy.
Citizens’ preferences for communication channels vary based on age and location, with older citizens favoring traditional channels and younger individuals preferring social media.
Prosocial actors differ from non-actors in their characteristics, motivations, and identity, influenced by factors such as reciprocity, fear of personal impact, and strong identity recognition.
Community-wide factors, including cooperative networks, social norms, and active community meetings, contribute to the encouragement of prosocial behaviors.