international broadcasting in ethiopia audience analysis & market profile june–august 2003...

International Broadcasting in Ethiopia

Audience Analysis & Market Profile June–August 2003

National Survey Report • 2333/03

InterMedia Audience Analysis & Market Profile • Ethiopia • August 2003 • 2333/03 •

Ethiopia at a Glance

Summary of Main Findings 2

Market Profile

Age, Sex, Language 3Residence, Education, Religion, Income 4Opinions and Attitudes 5Attitudes Toward United States and Other Countries 6

Media Access and UseTV/Radio: Penetration and Use 7Media Use: News and Information 8Listening/Viewing Times 9

International Broadcasting Awareness and Listening Trend 10VOA Languages by Ethnicity 12VOA in Addis Ababa 13

Audience Profiles

VOA 14Deutsche Welle 19

Contents

Project Manager and Author: Leah Ermarth


Ethiopia at a Glance

International Radio in Ethiopia, Any Language

• Audience figures this year are slightly lower but close enough to the margin of error to suggest that VOA and its major competitor, Deutsche Welle, have almost maintained their reach figures from 2002.

• Amharic continues to have the largest VOA audience nationally and in Addis Ababa, but Tigrigna has the best penetration among its target ethnic audience of the three VOA Horn of Africa languages.

• High awareness and significantly better annual listening indicate that VOA and DW are just occasional news sources for many.

• Ethiopia is very poor, rural and uneducated, and radio remains the closest thing to mass media available. Still, less than half the adult population owns a radio or listens weekly. Television viewing is low and internet use is barely measurable.

This chart shows Ethiopia listening rates in any language among the adult (15+) population. Data are weighted.

• The dearth of local media sources means nearly all FM stations, including those with music-heavy formats, are used for news and information. Despite this lack of choice, local media are proving competitive to internationals.

• No more than 7% of the adult population is listening to the radio at any one time of the day, but 20:00 is the peak of evening prime time.

• Both VOA and DW audiences tend to be male and under 35 years old. The best demographic penetration both claim is among urban elites with at least some university education.

• Most VOA listeners prefer a good mix of local and international news.

This report presents results of an InterMedia nationwide survey of adults (aged 15 and older) in Ethiopia. InterMedia team partner ORC Macro commissioned the Addis Ababa-based social and market research firm Miz-Hasab Research Center, which conducted 2,000 interviews during the summer of 2003. Of these, 1,966 were used in the final analysis. (See technical report for explanation.) The data have been weighted to education, age, gender, and urban/rural levels. Given an overall sample of this size, the range of error for the national sample, with a 95% confidence interval would be ±2.2%; the range of error for questions asked only to VOA Amharic/Afan Oromo/Tigrigna weekly listeners is ±6.2%.

International Radio in Ethiopia, By Language

(% of Adults Listening)

This chart shows Ethiopia listening rates by language among the adult (15+) population. Data are weighted.

5.3% 3.2% 8.9%12.2%

DW VOA

Weekly Annual

5.3% 3.0% 1.0% 0.5% 1.0%2.4%8.1%12.2%

DW-Amharic

VOA-Amharic

VOA-AfanOromo

VOA-Tigrigina

Weekly Annual


36%

24%

17%13%

7%4%

15–24 25–34 35–44 45–54 55–64 65+

Sex

29%

9%5%

Amharic Afan Oromo English

Other Languages Understood

Market Profile: Demographics

Tigrigina6%

Somali5%

Other8%

Amharic42%

Guraginga11%

Afan Oromo28%

Language Used at Home

Base: 1,966 adults [15 and older) in Ethiopia, Weighted

Female50.5%

Male49.5%

• Sixty percent of the adult population of Ethiopia (15 and older) is under 35 years old, making Ethiopia, like the rest of Africa, a very youthful country.

• Amharic is the most widely spoken language in the home, as well as the most widely spoken second language. As many people understand Amharic as a second language as speak Afan Oromo, the second most prevalent language in the home. The politics of language is quite sensitive in Ethiopia, where many resent the Amharization of official life in the country. English is truly a language of the elite; only 5% understand it.

Age


54%

38%

7%

1% 0%

None Primary(Complete orIncomplete)

IncompleteSecondary

CompleteSecondary

Higher

Education

Religion


Catholic1%

Orthodox43%

Protestant8%

Muslim48%

Market Profile: Demographics

Income

• Like most of its neighbors, Ethiopia is extremely rural. While 16% of dwellings can be classified as urban, according to official definitions of urbanicity, Addis Ababa, with 5% of the national adult population, is the only city that can be considered a metropolitan area.

• Ethiopia is one of the poorest and least educated nations on the planet. More than half of its population has never been to school, and only 8% has more than a primary education.

• About half of Ethiopia’s population is Muslim and the other half is Christian, primarily Orthodox. Most Muslims are of ethnic Oromo or Somali origin.

54%

35%

10%

1% 0%

Not enougheven to buy

food

Enough forfood, butbuying

clothes isdifficult

Enough forfood and

clothes, notenough forexpensive

goods

Can affordcertain

expensivegoods

Can affordwhatever we

want

Rural84%

Other Urban11%

Capital5%

Residence


15%

37%

23%

24%

Very satisfied

Somewhat satisfied

Neither/nor

Not at all satisfied


Market Profile: Opinions and AttitudesHow important is it for you to stay

informed about events in Ethiopia ?How interested are you in politics?

How satisfied are you with your own standard of living?

82%

11%

2%

Veryimportant

Somewhatimportant

Not at allimportant

23%

24%

15%

22%

Very interested

Somewhat interested

Not very interested

Not at all interested

• Often, the less developed a country’s media market, the more important people consider it is to stay informed about events in their own country. This is certainly the case in Ethiopia, where 82% think it is “very important” to stay informed about events there.

• This does not mean everyone is interested in politics. Responses to questions about interest in politics spread rather evenly across the spectrum.

• Despite nearly 90% of people feeling they are too poor to properly feed and clothe themselves, just more than half of all adults say they are satisfied with their standard of living in some measure.


49%

8%3% 1% 0%

Economic position Military power Technology Support for democracy Political power

• The United States, Ethiopia’s largest bilateral donor, is generally viewed in a favorable light. What is noticeable is the high level of ambivalence toward both the United States and other Western countries, as well as the approximately 30% that did not provide an answer for questions about Germany, Great Britain and South Africa. This is most likely due to low education levels.

• That the United States is considered primarily in terms of economic position and not military power is a likely testament to the influence of U.S. aid on attitudes, if not actual development indicators, considering that this survey was conducted immediately following U.S. military action in Iraq.


Market Profile: Opinions and Attitudes

19% 21%22% 22%

1% 1% 0%1% 0%

22%

53%

19%8%

24% 25% 25%16%

1% 1% 1%

United States Germany Great Britain South Africa

Very favorably Somewhat favorably Neither/nor Somewhat unfavorably Very unfavorably

How favorably inclined are you toward the following countries?

What is the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of the United States?


TV and Radio: Penetration and Use

Ownership Waveband Penetration

“Yesterday” Use “Yesterday” Waveband Use

• While 6% TV ownership is low, even by African standards, the remarkably low figure is that for daily or “yesterday” use, also 6%. There is very little of the group viewing prevalent throughout the rest of the continent, making TV a truly elite medium in Ethiopia.

• While 42% of adults own a radio, only 16% listened to it “yesterday.” This is likely due to the lack of electricity and prohibitive cost of batteries. Given Ethiopia’s transmitter network, it is not surprising that more people claim to be listening to MW than the other wavebands, but actual waveband usage is notoriously difficult to verify.


16%

6%1% 0%

Radio Television Newspaper Internet

42%

6% 6%

0%

Radio Television Antenna Satellite Dish

17%

22%

21%

0%

FM

MW

SW

Satellite

5%

8%

3%

FM

MW

SW


Media Use: News and Information

5% 4% 1% 1% 0% 0%

44% 42%

15% 12%4% 4% 2% 2%

24%14%

Radio Friends/Family TV Int'l radio Int'l TV Newspapers OfficialMeetings/Community

Gatherings

Magazines

Daily Weekly

How often do you use the following sources to get news about current events?

15%

ETV

Base: 1,966 adults [15 and older] in Ethiopia, Weighted

Which television stations, radio stations, or newspapers are your most important sources of information?

Television NewspapersRadio

• Weekly radio use for news gathering is significantly higher than daily use, but barely more than ownership, implying, as with television, there is little group listening to news.

• Ethiopia Radio (ER) and ETV are the most important sources of news, yet more people consider ER an important source than actually listen each week. They are likely to supplement occasional but important broadcasts with news from friends and family.

• News media are not highly specialized in Ethiopia. Even “FM,” the state’s music-heavy, youth-oriented programming, is considered a top news station by most who listen to it. More than one-third of the population listens to ER weekly; it is the only local station with wide reach nationally. About 5% and 4% listen to FM and Fana, respectively, on a weekly basis, but both are restricted to urban markets.


Media Use: Listening/Viewing Times

TV/Radio Reach at Various Times of DayPercentage of Adults Listening/Viewing “Yesterday”

• While Ethiopia follows the typical African pattern of more radio listening throughout the day and TV viewing primarily after 19:00, total audience for both is tiny: no more than 7% of the population is listening to the radio at any given time.

• While focus group participants complained about the 21:00 VOA broadcast time as being too late, it is in the middle of radio’s evening prime-time, which actually peaks at 20:00. This pattern may be due as much to a dearth of attractive programming before 20:00 as to people’s daily work rhythms. Two questions remain: Will an earlier time attract brand new listeners, as well as satisfy current or occasional ones? Which side of 20:00 is likely to prove most convenient without inviting too much competition?

Base : 1,966 adults [15 and older) in Ethiopia, Weighted


International Broadcasting

17% 15%6%

18%

9%

19%

DW VOA BBC

Ethiopia: Spontanteous Ethiopia: Prompted

Awareness

Base : 1,966 adults [15 and older) in Ethiopia, Weighted

6.0%

3.2%

8.0%

5.3%

2002 2003

VOA DW

• While weekly reach for all stations seems to have fallen in the past year, figures are almost within the range of statistical error. This fact, along with changes in data weighting since 2002 and the consistency in relative reach for each service, imply at best a small but stable audience in Ethiopia, at worst a slight decline in reach.

Listening Trends in Any Language

36%33%

15%

• Awareness of the various international stations available in Ethiopia is not atypical for a less-developed African country. They are quite high, however, when compared to actual weekly reach. Many people are aware of VOA and DW, but chose not to listen to them. This is particularly true in Addis Ababa, where half the population can name VOA without prompting, yet only about 4% listen weekly.


International Broadcasting

Listening in Any Language

Listening by Language

• Amharic has the highest weekly reach of all three VOA Horn of Africa Service languages, at 3% nationally. One percent listen in Afan Oromo, and 0.5% in Tigrigna. These figures, compared with overall reach, suggest significant overlap listening between languages. This fact would have come as a surprise to 2003 focus group participants who found Tigrigna and Oromo broadcasts completely redundant to Amharic broadcasts and thought the time devoted to the first two languages would be better spent on a longer Amharic broadcast.


• About 3% of Ethiopian adults listened to VOA in the past week. Nearly all of this listening is to the Horn of Africa service. Almost no one listens in English.

• Annual listening is about two and a half times weekly listening for both VOA and DW, indicating that international radio still fills a need in Ethiopia but not frequently.

5.3% 3.0% 1.0% 0.5% 1.0%2.4%8.1%12.2%

DW-Amharic

VOA-Amharic

VOA-AfanOromo

VOA-Tigrigina

Weekly Annual


5.3% 3.2% 8.9%12.2%

DW VOA

Weekly Annual



VOA Languages by Ethnicity

2.9%2.9%8.0% 8.0%

Amharic Any Language

Weekly Annual

VOA among Amhara

3.5%2.5% 6.6% 8.4%

Afan Oromo Any Language

Weekly Annual

VOA among Oromo

6.7%5.9%12.6% 14.3%

Tigrigna Any Language

Weekly Annual

VOA among Tigre

• While Amharic is the VOA language with the largest weekly audience both nationally and in Addis Ababa, Tigrigna is the VOA language that has the best penetration among its target ethnic audience, ethnic Tigre.

• As might be expected, some Oromo and Tigreans listen to VOA in other languages, mostly Amharic, while Amhara do not usually listen to VOA in any other language but Amharic.

Base: 902 Amhara adults [15 and older] in Ethiopia, Weighted

Base: 466 Oromo adults [15 and older] in Ethiopia, Weighted

Base: 238 Tigre adults [15 and older] in Ethiopia, Weighted


VOA in Addis Ababa

International Radio in Addis Ababa, Any

Language

4.6% 4.4% 8.7%

19.8%14.8%

6.5%

BBC VOA DW

Weekly Annual

52%

27%

50%

26%

29%

27%

DW VOA BBC

Spontanteous Prompted

Awareness—Addis Ababa

VOA in Addis Ababa, By Language

4.0% 0.0% 1.0% 1.0% 1.0%1.0%0.0%

14.9%

Amharic AfanOromo

Tigrigna English

Weekly Annual

• While BBC is not much of a competitor to VOA nationally, it does have competing reach in the capital. Its annual reach is significantly lower, however, than either VOA’s or DW’s in Addis Ababa, implying a small, loyal and elite audience. BBC broadcasts to the region in English and Somali only.

• DW and VOA awareness levels are both extremely high in Addis Ababa. One in two adults can name either broadcaster spontaneously, and another 25% can name one of the broadcasters when prompted. Such awareness is particularly remarkable when compared to the low weekly reach figures.

• There is very little listening to any VOA language other than Amharic in Addis Ababa, even English. VOA penetration into the Addis Ababa market is slightly higher than that for Ethiopia as a whole, although both are shortwave-only environments.

Base: 497 adults [15 and older] in Addis Ababa, Weighted


Audience Profiles: VOA Horn Service

VOA Amharic/Afan Oromo/Tigrigna Audience in EthiopiaWeekly Audience Composition

Sex

19%

41%

14% 19%6%

54%

38%

7% 1% 0%

None Primary (Completeor Incomplete)

IncompleteSecondary

Complete Secondary Higher

VOA Audience General Population

Education

• The average VOA listener is male and under 35 years old. While predominantly male audiences are typical for shortwave-only services, the Ethiopian audience is atypically young. This may be a good sign for the service, and is corroborated by very positive feedback from young focus group participants about VOA’s youth-oriented programming, such as Mestawot.

VOA Base: 605 adults [15 and older] in Ethiopia, heard VOA in Amharic, Afan Oromo, or Tigrigna in past week, Weighted

General Population Base: 1,966 adults [15 and older] in Ethiopia, Weighted

92%

8%

51% 50%

Male Female


32% 40%

14%3% 6% 5%

24% 17% 13% 7% 4%

36%

15–24 25–34 35–44 45–54 55–64 65+


VOA any language weekly reach: 3.2%

Age


3% 5% 3% 1% 3%

15–24 25–34 35–44 45–54 55–64

• Six percent of the male population of Ethiopia listens to VOA, in any of the three service languages, on any given week. Only 1% of the female population does so.

• VOA has significant penetration into the educated population. Nearly one in five high school graduates, and nearly one in three of those with some university education listen to VOA in a given week. Such penetration does not translate into large audience numbers because of the tiny percentage of educated adults within the population as a whole. VOA seems to be more and more a source of regular news only for the elite few.

1%6%

Male Female

AgeSex

1%5%

9%17%

29%

None Primary(Complete

orIncomplete)

SecondaryIncomplete

SecondaryComplete

SomeCollege or

Higher

Education

4%2%10%

Urban Rural Addis Ababa

Residence



VOA Amharic/Afan Oromo/Tigrigna Audience in EthiopiaWeekly Reach Among Demographic SegmentsVOA any language weekly

reach: 3.2%


76%

27%

29%

94%21:00 to

21:14

21:15 to21:29

21:30 to21:44

21:45 to21:59

8%

20%

0%

1%

69%

3%Less than 5 minutes

6–10 minutes

11–15 minutes

16–20 minutes

21–25 minutes

26–30 minutes

Which waveband do you listen on?

At which times do you usually listen?

How long do you usually listen? (Amharic Listeners Only)

• These graphs confirm that most who are listening to VOA are both reasonably aware of the actual frequency and timing of their listening and are listening to entire programs.

Base: 605 adults [15 and older] in Ethiopia, VOA Amharic/Afan Oromo/Tigrigna weekly listeners, Weighted

69%

3%

2%FM

AM

SW


VOA Amharic/Afan Oromo/Tigrigna Audience in EthiopiaWeekly Audience Listening Behavior


How long do you usually listen? (Tigrigna Listeners Only)

How long do you usually listen? (Afan Oromo Listeners Only)

Base: 359 adults [15 and older] in Ethiopia, VOA Amharic annual

listeners, Weighted

Base: 46 adults [15 and older] in Ethiopia, VOA Tigrigna annual

listeners, Weighted

Base: 40 adults [15 and older] in Ethiopia, VOA Afan Oromo annual

listeners, Weighted

0%

67%

0%

0%

29%


6–10 minutes

11–15 minutes

16–20 minutes

21–25 minutes

26–30 minutes

9%

92%

0%

0%

0%


6–10 minutes

11–15 minutes

16–20 minutes

21–25 minutes

26–30 minutes


• Although it is unwise to take respondent estimates of behavior over time literally, more said they have increased their listening in the last 12 months than said they decreased, supporting the argument that reach has not declined drastically, and may have remained steady since 2002. However, there were almost no respondents who claimed to have become listeners to Tigrigna in the past year; in fact, none of the languages are attracting many new listeners.


VOA Amharic/Afan Oromo/Tigrigna Audience in EthiopiaWeekly Audience Listening Behavior


15%

82%

3%Within past12 months

1 to 2 yearsago

More than 2years ago

When was the first time you listened?(Amharic Listeners Only)

40%

60%

0%Within past 12

months

1 to 2 years ago

More than 2years ago

When was the first time you listened?(Tigrigna Listeners Only)

48%

30%

22%Within past 12 months

1 to 2 years ago

More than 2 years ago

When was the first time you listened?(Afan Oromo Listeners Only)

40%

23%

36%More frequently

Less frequently

About the same

Compared with a year ago, do you listen...?(Amharic Listeners Only)

45%

40%

15%More frequently

Less frequently

About the same

Compared with a year ago, do you listen...?(Tigrigna Listeners Only)

33%

22%

46%More frequently

Less frequently

About the same

Compared with a year ago, do you listen...?(Afan Oromo Listeners Only)

Base: 359 adults [15 and older] in Ethiopia, VOA Amharic annual listeners, Weighted

Base: 46 adults [15 and older] in Ethiopia, VOA Tigrigna annual listeners, Weighted

Base: 40 adults [15 and older] in Ethiopia, VOA Afan Oromo annual listeners, Weighted


8%32%

57%16%

11%

6%2%

5%More Live Feature Programming

More Music

Improve Signal/Sound Quality

Expand Airtime

Better Broadcast Times

More Relevant Topics

Improve Objectivity

Improve On-Air Presentation

Which kinds of topics are most important to you? (Amharic Listeners Only)

Which programs on VOA Amharic/Afan Oromo/Tigrigna do you enjoy listening to?

If you could do one thing to improve VOA, what would it be?


7%7%7%7%

2%2%

32%37%International News

News about EthiopiaAgriculture

Life of Ethiopians in U.S.Sports

Health and MedicineAnswer's to Listener's Letters

Science and Technology

• It is interesting that expanding air time got more responses than improving signal quality. Both signal monitoring and focus groups suggested the signal is certainly an issue, but it does not keep regular listeners from wanting more programming.

• The average listener considers national and international news most important, and in about equal measure.


VOA Amharic/Afan Oromo/Tigrigna Audience in EthiopiaWeekly Audience Attitudes Toward ProgrammingVOA any language weekly

reach: 3.2%

59%

27%

11%

46%

11%

13%

8%

18%

3%5%

35%Kezam Kezam

Alem Bezih Samint

Tena

Americana Hezboh

Ethiopian Ba America

Ursha

Ye Behel Medrek

Africance Riisoch

Waa'ee Uummata Oromo Kana Beektuu Laata

Eritrea Weyan ab America

Africa beahynee Gazettat America

Base: 164 adults [15 and older] in Ethiopia, VOA Amharic weekly listeners, Weighted

• Alem Bezih Samint is VOA’s most popular show.



Audience Profiles: DW Amharic

DW Amharic Audience in EthiopiaWeekly Audience Composition

• DW audience composition generally resembles that of VOA in sex and age, but is composed of fewer males and more young people.

• DW has a significantly smaller percentage of audience with no education than does VOA, which is somewhat interesting, since VOA is often described as a station for intellectuals.

DW Audience Base: 226 adults [15 and older] who heard DW Amharic in past week

General Population Base: 1,966 adults [15 and older] in Ethiopia, Weighted

DW Amharic weekly reach: 5.3%

Sex

6%

68%

21%

3% 2%

54%38%

7% 1% 0%

None Primary (Completeor Incomplete)

IncompleteSecondary

Complete Secondary Higher

DW Audience General Population

Education

80%

20%

51% 50%

Male Female

DW Audience General Population

46%

26%14% 9%

1% 5%

24%17% 13%

7% 4%

36%

15–24 25–34 35–44 45–54 55–64 65+

DWAudience General Population

Age



DW Amharic Audience in EthiopiaWeekly Reach Among Demographic Segments

• DW has better penetration into the segment of the population that has a high school degree than does VOA, but its penetration of the segment with some post-secondary experience is identical to that of VOA. If DW listeners have been to university, they probably also listen to VOA.

• Not surprisingly, both DW and VOA have better penetration in urban areas than they do in rural areas, although the majority of both audiences live in rural areas.

2%9%

Male Female

AgeSex


Education

Residence


7% 6% 4% 4% 1%7%

15–24 25–34 35–44 45–54 55–64 65+

1%9%

16%25% 29%

None Primary(Complete

orIncomplete)

SecondaryIncomplete

SecondaryComplete

SomeCollege or

Higher

9%4%

17%

Urban Rural Addis Ababa



DW Amharic Audience in EthiopiaWeekly Audience Listening Behavior

Which waveband do you listen on?

At which times do you usually listen?

How long do you usually listen?

• DW listeners appreciate the same types of programming as VOA listeners. They also listen to a large portion of the programming offered during a single broadcast: Although the biggest audience is won in the first 15 minutes, over two-thirds of DW Amharic weekly listeners continue to listen to their broadcast past the half-way point.

Base: DW Amharic weekly listeners, n= 226


1%

75%

1%FM

SW

MW/AM

80%

70%

66%

99%17:00 to 17:14

17:15 to 17:29

17:30 to 17:44

17:45 to 17:50

Which kinds of topics are most important to you?

31%

8%

7%

6%

6%

3%

1%

36%International News

News about Ethiopia

Human Rights

Sports

Agriculture

Science/Technology

Health and Medicine

Economics/Business

8%

8%

1%

4%

8%

72%


6–10 minutes

11–15 minutes

16–20 minutes

21–25 minutes

26–30 minutes

More than 30 minutes

international broadcasting in ethiopia audience analysis & market profile june–august 2003...

Documents

largest voa audience

voa listeners

language audience

international news

trend10 voa languages

glance international

voa horn of africa languages

adult population