Family Planning in Burkina Faso

Media, social pressure, and combating misinformation: experimental evidence on mass media and contraception use in Burkina Faso.

(with Rachel Glennerster and Joanna Murray)

Abstract:

Using a two-level randomized experiment covering 5 million people in Burkina Faso, we examine the impact on family planning knowledge and behavior of both general exposure to mass media (800 women receive radios in status quo areas) and an intensive evidence-based family planning campaign (8 of 16 radio stations receive the campaign and 800 women receive radios in campaign areas). Women receiving radios in status quo areas reduce contraception use by 5.2 percentage points. This negative effect is concentrated among those who wanted fewer children, consistent with mass media increasing social pressure to conform to the modal behavior in the media market. In contrast, receiving a radio in campaign areas increases contraception use by 5.8 percentage points. Comparing women in campaign vs noncampaign areas we find contraception use is 5.9 percentage points higher, births 10% lower, misperceptions about contraception lower, and reported welfare 0.27 standard deviations higher in campaign areas.