Climate Asia

Utilising a multi-country, multi-method replicable research design (viewable in full detail through the PDF document located here), BBC Media Action aims to provide an evidence base for public understanding of climate change in Asia. In 2012, Climate Asia interviewed more than 33,500 people across 7 countries in Asia - Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, and Vietnam - via research including national surveys, focus groups, and community assessments involving the general public, as well as in-depth interviews and workshops with the media, climate change experts, and those in positions of power and influence. "This approach differs markedly from much existing research in that it does not focus primarily on the concept of climate change. Instead, BBC Media Action used insights from formative work to ask people questions using language and concepts that are more likely to relate to their day-to-day lives. Questions in the Climate Asia survey focus on tangible issues including food, water, energy and extreme weather events."

More specifically,

• 150 interviews were conducted across the 7 countries with key experts and opinion formers from government, media, business, civil society, science, and academia. These interviews explored: (i) knowledge and framing of climate change, including awareness of climate change, views on public understanding of the issue, and current effects and impacts experienced in their country or region and identification of affected and vulnerable communities; (ii) responses to climate change, including identification of key actors, discussion of current levels of response, decision-making on this issue, and examples of effective responses to climate change; and (iii) communications, including discussion of how experts and opinion-formers communicated opportunities and barriers to communicating climate change and, with media experts, questions about the media landscape of their country.
• 96 focus group discussions (FGDs) with members of the public were completed across 6 countries (the exception was China). The groups were split into 2 types. The first group explored people's views of their lives, as well as how they talk about their environment and relate to changes in climate. The FGDs also explored how people are already responding to changes in their environment and the barriers and motivations to responding. The second group concentrated on people's media habits, their trust in sources of information, and their views of specific actions that they could take to deal with changes in the environment. Next, BBC Media Action assembled a selection of adaptation behaviours that people might take in response to climatic variability and change. This list drew from responses suggested by: experts and opinion-formers; participants in communications strategy development workshops; expert advisors; existing literature; policy and practice, including National Adaptation Programmes of Action (where available); a World Bank Database of Asia adaptation programmes; and a survey of adaptation projects in South Asia assembled by Oxfam. These possible actions were shown to focus groups as picture cards, and participants were asked to devise ways they would like TV or radio to cover them.
• 42 community assessments were conducted across 6 countries (all except Vietnam) in late 2012. These assessments aimed to generate a more detailed understanding of how communities experience the impacts associated with climate change, including how the community is already responding to climate variability. The communities were selected to both represent parts of the population that experts feel are most vulnerable to the effects of climate change in both urban and rural areas and also to cover a range of geographical zones and the social diversity of the country. The intention was to undertake these assessments with people who would not necessarily be reached by a quantitative survey. These assessments incorporate a range of research techniques, including rural participatory appraisals with a group or groups from the community during which researchers draw community maps, seasonal calendars, and communications network maps with the group while discussing issues around climate and livelihood. These research techniques are supplemented with in-depth interviews and transect walks around the area with key informants, including local and community leaders, officials, and, where present, members of civil society groups who conduct activities in the area. Researchers also take detailed field notes while observing the community.
• Communications strategy development workshops were held in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, and Vietnam in early 2012 with climate change experts, officials, and practitioners along with media and communications professionals. These workshops; discussed definitions of climate change and priority issues related to it; pinpointed affected communities and highlighted how they could adapt to climate change; considered what actions were achievable and the barriers to and motivations for taking them; and determined which media channels were appropriate to reach specific audiences and generate ideas for media content. These workshops were also used to test the communications strategy development process.
• Climate Asia is evaluating over 100 existing initiatives and media programmes that communicate climate change issues. This process is designed to help identify the regions, audiences, and climatic areas where resources are currently being placed as well as any key issues highlighted through research that are not being widely covered. It will also help to build a picture of the media landscape in the project's 7 countries and to identify the level of cooperation between media, government, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and other institutions that communicate about climate change. The evaluation will highlight the types of communications approaches being implemented and where good or promising practice lies. Certain projects and programmes that demonstrate good practice will then be selected as case studies that will inform and reinforce proposed communication strategies.
• Climate Asia is conducting a quantitative survey, which aims to (i) provide a replicable baseline of public understanding of effects, impacts, and responses to climate variability and change which can be measured over time; and (ii) inform the development of communications that enable action in response to climate variability and change Insights generated from qualitative research have been used to shape and design the survey. Replicable indicators that the survey will measure and can then be tracked over time include: (i) awareness of current changes in the environment; (ii) levels of knowledge about actions to take to respond to changes; (iii) current actions taken to respond to changes; (iv) likelihood to take action to respond to changes in future; and (v) use of communications to enable response to changes in the environment. A single standard survey has been designed to be replicated in different languages across the 7 countries. While there are a few country-specific questions (for instance, those that assess the poverty levels of that country) and some country-specific response options (such as specific media channels), the survey has been designed to ensure that comparison and analysis across countries is possible. A standard survey will also allow for regional analysis of data and audience segmentation. To ensure a nationally representative sample, BBC Media Action employed the probability proportionate to size (PPS) methodology to select the study districts from within the geographical regions.

Climate Asia will provide a range of tools to enable a range of organisations - from governments and donors to the media and NGOs - to use what the research has uncovered from audiences to develop their own communications to meet the public's needs. The goal is to encourage organisations across the region to develop their current media programming and communications strategies to serve people better. The tools will include a regional summary, individual country reports, an interactive data portal, and a practitioner guide series to be launched in September 2013 (printed versions of which will be available for those organisations with low connectivity). Long- and short-form reports will also be available, in addition to a handbook detailing methods for conducting research and developing communications.

Environment

By taking a specifically cross-country approach to research, BBC Media Action aims to facilitate the sharing of learning and experience by people with their counterparts who face similar challenges in other countries. The quantitative baselines have been designed to be replicable, and it is intended that organisations will use these to measure shifts in public understanding of climate change in Asia over time. Research will also highlight good practice in responding to climate change. Insight drawn from qualitative research suggests that there may be similarities in impacts felt and responses taken by people in similar geographical areas. For instance, participants in mountain locations in a number of countries have been very aware of changes in the timings of seasons. It may be possible to replicate successful communications across mountainous areas in the region.

Click here to learn about more about the research design [PDF].