Intention to Adopt a Behaviour

This indicator measures the proportion of the target population that does not practice a certain behaviour but intends to do so in the near future. The indicator is especially useful for evaluating the effectiveness of social and behaviour change (SBC) communication activities.

Collect the following data by conducting individual interviews with a representative sample of the target group members:

RECOMMENDED SURVEY QUESTIONS (Q) AND POSSIBLE ANSWERS (A)

Introduction: In the following question I will ask you about your future plans. The question does not have any right or wrong answers, so I would like to encourage you to respond honestly, saying what you actually feel.   

Q1: There are many different practices that people use to [specify the desired outcome – e.g. protect their children's health; ensure high yields; etc.]. Are there any of such practices that you currently do not follow but would like to in the coming [specify the time period]?

A1: yes / no

Q2: What are the practices that you want to start following in the coming [specify the time period]?

A2: specify a range of behaviours related to the topic you are asking about (including the one your indicator focuses on) + include option “other – specify: ……………”

Probe: Are there any other practices you plan to start using in the coming [specify the time period]?

To calculate the indicator’s value, divide the number of respondents who intend to adopt the behaviour your indicator focuses on by the total number of respondents. Multiply the result by 100 to convert it to a percentage.

Disaggregate the data depending on your target group and the focus of your intervention.

1) The easiest way to gain the required data would be to ask directly whether the respondent plans to adopt the given behaviour. However, such an approach is highly prone to social desirability bias – many respondents often know that they are expected to follow the behaviour and therefore they respond positively even though they do not really intend to adopt the behaviour. That is why IndiKit’s guidance is based on a more indirect way of gaining the required data.

2) Consider assessing also the main motivations for adopting the given behaviour. If a respondent says that s/he wants to adopt the behaviour measured by this indicator, you can ask: "Why do you want to [specify the behaviour]?" Probe: "Are there any other reasons?" Such data can help you when promoting the behaviour in the future. 

3) The data for this indicator should be collected in the final stage of your SBC communication campaign / activities so that you can see what proportion of the target population plans to adopt the behaviour before they actually do so. If you have a long-term campaign, you can also use it as a part of its mid-term evaluation. 

4) The time period can be defined in a general way, such as “in the coming months”.
 

5) In addition to assessing the proportion of people who intend to adopt the given behaviour, assess also the proportion of people who already adopted the behaviour.