Perceived Effectiveness of Promoted Adaptation Measures

The indicator measures people’s perceptions of how effective the promoted measures are in adapting to selected, locally-visible effects of climate change (e.g. droughts, floods). Such data is very important, as people are not likely to adopt measures that – in their opinion – do not work. The data can help you design the focus of your promotion activities and evaluate their effectiveness.

Determine the indicator's value by using the following methodology:

1) Define the promoted adaptation measure(s). Ensure that you are very specific – for example, if you are promoting ‘intercropping’, specify for which crops and how this method should be used.

2) For each measure, define which specific effect of climate change it is addressing. It must be an effect that people can visualize because they have experienced it in the past. For example, it can be ‘flash floods coming to this area’ or ‘unusually long periods without rain during the main agricultural season’.

3) For each measure, design an interview question that you will use to assess whether the respondents think that the measure is effective in adapting to the specific effect of climate change. Ensure that all questions are specific enough without leading the respondent to a particular answer. For example: “Sometimes, during the main agricultural season, there are times when it does not rain for a longer period of time and there is drought. In your opinion, to what extent can mulching help with protecting your maize from drought?”

4) If you assess respondents’ perceptions of several adaptations measures, decide on how many measures they need to perceive as ‘effective’ in order to be considered ‘thinking that the promoted measures are effective in adapting to the effects of climate change’ (e.g. at least 2 out of 3 promoted measures).

5) Conduct interviews with a representative sample of your target group members, asking them:

     - first whether they are aware of the promoted adaptation measures (follow this guidance)

     - if they are aware of one of more of the promoted measures, ask them for their opinion about the effectiveness of this measure / these measures (using the questions defined in point 3)

6) To calculate the indicator’s value:

     - count the number of respondents who were aware of at least one promoted measure and at the same time perceived the measure as effective (if you are asking about several measures, follow point 4)

     - divide this number by the total number of respondents who were aware of at least one promoted measure

     - multiply the result by 100 to convert it to a percentage

Disaggregate the data by gender, age group, location, and other criteria relevant to the context and focus of your intervention.

1) While people’s perceptions are often seen as something subjective, something that does not provide ‘reliable evidence’, they have a major impact on people’s willingness to adopt the promoted measures. In order for people to adopt a given measure, they must believe that the measure is effective in preventing (or reducing) the given problem (e.g. droughts reducing harvest); otherwise they will not perceive it as worth the effort. That is why the data collected by this indicator is so important. 

2) The effects of some measures are visible only after a longer period of time. It is recommended that your endline data collection focuses only on measures whose effects the respondents were able to experience; otherwise, you might get unreliable data.

3) It is important that only people who are aware of one or more of the promoted measures are asked about their perceived effectiveness, otherwise you will gain unreliable data.

4) If a respondent is aware of the promoted measure but s/he thinks that it is not effective, it is highly recommended that the survey asks why s/he thinks that the measure is not effective.

5) In addition to reporting on the overall indicator value, also report on the perceived effectiveness of the individual adaptation measures (e.g., how many respondents think that mulching is effective, how many think that intercropping is effective, etc.).

6) When reporting on the indicator’s value, report not only on the percentage of respondents who perceived the measures as effective but also on the percentage of respondents who were not sure whether they are effective or not.