Social Change - The Soul City Communication Experience

Excerpts from the Executive Summary

"The fourth series of Soul City was a mass media, health promotion intervention which used television, radio and print media. The topics covered in the fourth series were violence against women, hypertension, AIDS and youth sexuality, and personal finance. A special partnership with the National Network on Violence Against Women (NNVAW) was formed to extend the advocacy, communication action and support components of the programme."

Key Results of the Evaluation:

• Soul City series 4 reached an audience of 16,2 million people (79% of the target population).
• At a societal level Soul City and the National Network on Violence Against Women partnership enabled the Domestic Violence Act to be more speedily implemented.
• At a community level, Soul City affected the policies and activities of community organisations and changed people's perception of the social norms. This created a supportive environment which allowed individual change and lifted some of the barriers that usually prevent behaviour change.
• Soul City was related to people changing their behaviour positively in relation to hypertension and personal finance, and in maintaining positive behaviours related to domestic violence and AIDS. The evaluation also showed changes in people's knowledge, attitudes, in their intention to change as well as in other aspects of people's behaviour change. One example of positive behaviour associated with Soul City is that 45% of 16-24 year olds watched, listened to and read Soul City, reported safer sexual behaviour compared to 28% who had not accessed Soul City at all.
• The cost of Soul City's role in preventing or fighting AIDS was R2.70 ($0.38) per action measured. The cost of Soul City's role in an action to prevent or help in violence against women was R49.12 ($6.92) per action.