Challenges in Changing Social Norms: Evidence from Interventions Targeting Child Marriage in Ethiopia
Key Social Norms Take-Aways: This study underscores that changing social norms is possible but complex. Interventions prompted discussion and shifted some attitudes but also deepened divisions. Gender and power hierarchies remained largely intact, and future programs must anticipate resistance and support collective norm change. Objectives: This study evaluated whether social norms interventions and economic incentives […]
Results from a cluster-randomized trial to evaluate a microfinance and peer health leadership intervention to prevent HIV and intimate partner violence among social networks of Tanzanian men.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The study shows that shifting men’s attitudes around gender norms is possible through peer-led interventions, but changing behaviors tied to power, masculinity, and violence demands deeper, sustained engagement. Effective interventions must focus not only on individual beliefs but also on the community and relational dynamics that reinforce harmful practices. Objectives: This […]
A stigma-reduction intervention targeting abortion and contraceptive use among adolescents in Kisumu County, Kenya: a quasi-experimental study
Key Social Norms Take-Aways: This study shows that participatory, values-based education can shift deeply held social norms among adolescents. By encouraging open dialogue and reflection on stigmatized issues like abortion and contraception, the intervention helped reduce judgment and promoted supportive attitudes. Addressing these interconnected stigmas is critical for enabling young people to make informed reproductive […]
Using behavior change communication to lead a comprehensive family planning program: the Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative (NURHI) explicitly integrates social norms into its behavior change communication strategy, guided by the theory of ideation. The project focuses on transforming beliefs, attitudes, and social expectations—particularly around family size, spousal consent, and acceptability of contraceptive use—by using mass media, community mobilization, and interpersonal communication. […]
Gender norms and modern contraceptive use in urban Nigeria: a multilevel longitudinal study
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study demonstrates that gender-equitable norms—particularly attitudes supporting shared household decision-making, joint family planning decisions, and family planning self-efficacy—significantly influence women’s adoption and sustained use of modern contraceptives in urban Nigeria. Importantly, neighborhood-level gender norms also matter: living in a community where gender-equitable attitudes are prevalent increases the likelihood of contraceptive […]
Effect of community-based voluntary counselling and testing on HIV incidence and social and behavioural outcomes (NIMH Project Accept; HPTN 043): a cluster-randomised trial.
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study shows that community-based voluntary counseling and testing (CBVCT) interventions can positively influence social norms around HIV testing. Community mobilization led to more favorable attitudes toward testing, particularly among men, by reducing stigma and encouraging open discussion. While stigma reduction was limited—possibly due to low baseline levels—the intervention succeeded in […]
Countering Violence Against Women by Encouraging Disclosure: A Mass Media Experiment in Rural Uganda
Key Social Norms Take-aways: This study demonstrates that social norms surrounding disclosure of violence—specifically the fear of gossip, judgment, or community backlash—can be shifted independently of attitudes about the acceptability of violence itself. When people believe that others in their community will support reporting violence rather than shame survivors, willingness to disclose increases, and actual […]
A qualitative exploration of the salience of MTV-Shuga, an edutainment programme, and adolescents’ engagement with sexual and reproductive health information in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Key Social Norms Take-aways: MTV Shuga Down South demonstrates how mass media can catalyze shifts in social norms related to HIV, gender dynamics, and sexual health by sparking peer dialogue and promoting reflection among young people. The show’s impact hinged on its ability to normalize conversations about taboo topics and present relatable scenarios that challenged […]
“You need to be able to stand up for what is right”: MTV Shuga Naija’s transformative impact on youth attitudes towards sexual violence in Nigeria
Key Social Norms Take-aways: MTV Shuga Naija significantly shifted harmful gender and sexual violence-related social norms among Nigerian youth by reducing victim-blaming attitudes and increasing awareness of sexual harassment and violence. The intervention illustrates how entertainment-education, when grounded in theory and embedded in relatable narratives, can disrupt entrenched norms, catalyze attitudinal change, and foster critical […]
Reducing GBV in Zambia: Midline Survey Findings
Key Social Norms Take-aways: The Natwampane program demonstrates that well-designed media interventions can positively influence deeply entrenched social norms that condone gender-based violence (GBV). Regular exposure to Natwampane radio content was associated with reduced acceptance of harmful gender norms, increased awareness of legal rights and SGBV services, and more willingness to intervene in or report […]