International Broadcasting in Ethiopia Audience Analysis & Market Profile July-December 2004 National Survey Report 3224/04

International Broadcasting in Ethiopia

Audience Analysis & Market ProfileJuly-December 2004

National Survey Report • 3224/04

InterMedia Audience Analysis & Market Profile • Ethiopia • July-December, 2004 • 3224/04 • Page 2

Contents

Ethiopia at a GlanceSummary of Main Findings 2Media Environment 4Research Environment 5

Media Access and UseTV/Radio: Penetration and Use 6Computers and Internet: Penetration and Use 7News and Information 8Leading Sources 9Listening/Viewing Times 10

International Broadcasting Awareness and Listening by Languages 11Best-Educated and Two Year Trend 12VOA Listening by Ethnicity 13Radio Overlap/ Any Media Reach 14Radio Broadcaster Rankings 15

Audience ProfilesVOA 16DW 22

Opinions and Attitudes 25

Appendix I: Demographics 27

Technical Summary Under Separate Cover

Prepared by: Adam Gluck & Leah Ermarth, ORC Macro

1401 New York Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20005(202) [email protected] • www.intermedia.org


Ethiopia at a Glance: Summary of Main Findings

International Radio Listening by Language (percent of adults

listening)

Base: n=1,992 (adults 15 and older) in Ethiopia

This report presents results of an InterMedia survey of adults (15 and older) in Ethiopia. InterMedia teaming partner ORC Macro commissioned the Addis Ababa-based social research firm Miz Hasab Research Center, which conducted 1,992 interviews in Ethiopia from July through December, 2004. Given a sample of this size, the range of error with a 95 percent confidence interval would be ± 2.2percent; for the various VOA weekly listening rates found, the margin of error is no worse ±1.0 percent. Figures may not total exactly 100 percent due to rounding.

• Although the rewriting of media laws and promised opening of the airwaves to private interests in 2004 suggested changes in the Ethiopian media environment, not much has actually changed for the average citizen. Radio is still the most popular media, dominated by the state; international radio still operates in a near SW only-environment, and internet is barely measurable.

• However, Ethiopia is one of the only countries surveyed in 2004 where VOA reach and awareness are higher than in 2003, both inside and outside the capital. VOA’s major competitor, DW, also showed higher reach and awareness in 2004.

• VOA weekly reach in any language rose from 3.2% in 2003 to 5.6% in 2004. DW rose from 5.3% to 10%, in the same period. High profile government denouncements of VOA coverage of the Gambela unrest in the spring and summer of 2004 may have influenced international radio listening across the board.

• Ethiopia conforms to the general rule that international radio tends to attract more highly educated citizens, even in indigenous languages. However, its audience profiles were noticeably young in 2003, and they continued to be in 2004. Nearly half of the adult VOA audience is under the age of 24.

10.0%5.2%

1.3% 1.1%

18.3%

0.1%

11.0%

2.1% 0.2% 1.5%

DWAmharic

VOAAmharic

VOA AfanOromo

VOATigray

BBCEnglish

Weekly Annual

10.0%5.6%

1.1%

18.3%

11.5%

1.5%

DW VOA BBC

Weekly Annual

Listening in Any Language (percent of

adults listening)



Ethiopia at a Glance: Summary of Main Findings, continued• Something that has changed noticeably in the past year is the drop in Tigrigna reach which used to

have the best reach within its target ethnic audience in northern Ethiopia. While weekly listening in Amharic has risen by several percentage points, weekly listening in Tigrigna has shrunk to almost nothing. Overall, nobody in our sample claims to listen to Tigrigna exclusively. Afan Oromo weekly reach has, by contrast, remained largely stable. It should be remembered that the Horn Service changed the broadcast time, and expanded the length of, both the Tigrigna and Afan Oromo language programs three months prior to the launch of the 2004 survey. Given that most international radio listening in Ethiopia is appointment listening, it is certainly possible that some listeners were lost in the clock change.

• The VOA audience is more interested in international news than it is in local news, which is contrary to results found in many African markets. This is not because Radio Ethiopia has such stellar trustworthiness ratings – they are in fact comparatively mediocre. It more likely has to do with the role and long history of international radio in Ethiopia. VOA still has a very good trustworthiness rating among listeners.

• Also contrary to many other markets, even those with FM access, Ethiopians are not complaining about VOA reception; most annual listeners rate it as either good or excellent. This is true both inside and outside of Addis Ababa.

• Although VOA reach among females has grown by three percentage points since 2003, the vast majority of weekly listeners are male. Most are also rural, but then, so is 84% of the Ethiopian population.

• Ethiopia remains one of the poorest countries on the planet, according to standard development indicators, yet 2004 survey respondents were significantly more positive about their household situation than respondents in 2003. The number of respondents in 2004 who said they could not afford to feed themselves is half that of 2003, but the number of respondents who have trouble buying sufficient clothing has increased.


Ethiopia at a Glance: Media Environment• Population: Estimated adult (15+) population in sampled areas in 2004 = 37.3 million adults

(source: Population Research Bureau)

• Languages: The politics of language is quite sensitive in Ethiopia, where many either champion or resent the Amharization of official life in the country. While Amharic is the language of government and early instruction, Afan Oromo, Tigrigna, Somali, and Arabic are also spoken. There are over 80 living languages in Ethiopia. English is truly a language of the elite. In 2004, fewer than 1% of the adult population spoke it fluently. (Source: Ethnologue, ORC Macro survey 2004, variable: Ethlang)

• Radio: Ethiopia has one of the lowest radio penetration figures in Africa, although its media poverty makes radio the closest thing to mass-media that exists. At this writing, the state of radio was in flux. The government was still in the midst of rewriting media laws that at once promised some liberation of the airwaves through auction to private broadcasters, yet tightened libel laws to restrict journalists critical of the government. There are currently no private radio services in Ethiopia, and consequently no VOA affiliates. The use of FM is nascent. In fact, the term “FM” in the capital Addis Ababa refers to the name of a single music station run by the government.

• Television: Television also has extremely low penetration in Ethiopia, and terrestrial services are all government owned (ETV). Satellite programming does exist, but fewer than one percent of the population has access to it. There is no terrestrial access to VOA TV in Ethiopia, but some of its programming can be seen on satellite channels in major hotels, along with BBC World and DW TV.

• Press: There are a few daily and dozens of weekly newspapers in Ethiopia, most of them in Addis. The government papers, The Herald and Addis Zemen, in English and Amharic respectively, each have an estimated circulation of about 19,000. Most private papers, few with a circulation over 10,000, are not widely considered credible. (Source: ORC Macro, WAAG Communications Media Study, Addis Ababa 2004) Adult literacy is estimated at around 42%. (Source: UNDP HD report, 2004) There is also a second-hand market for newspapers in the capital.

• Internet: Despite the fact that the Ethiopian Telecommunication Corporation (ETC) is the oldest PTO in Africa, it has one of the least developed networks in the world. Internet penetration in Ethiopia in 2004 was barely measurable. The ITU estimates there are only 10 users per 10,000 inhabitants, compared to the African average of 148. A visit to Addis confirms the lack of new internet cafés. This compares rather starkly with Eritrea, the now independent ex-province of Ethiopia, which is similarly poor, but has sprouted internet cafés and users all over the capital of Asmara.


Ethiopia at a Glance: Research Environment• Research Infrastructure: Nearly all modern infrastructure is weak in Ethiopia, including research

infrastructure. Less than one percent of the population receives post-secondary education, and hardly any more than that get their high school diploma, so there are very few qualified researchers, and almost no commercial market. Nearly all research that does go on is managed by foreigners and expatriates, funded by aid agencies. Market research firms from Kenya occasionally do work for their clients in urban Ethiopia. However, ORC Macro has teamed with a small firm, recently established in the capital with an all-local staff, its management trained in the U.S., with a history of quality research supporting public health and education programs.

• Survey Details: ORC Macro’s field partner is Miz-Hasab Research Center (MHRC), who conducted both the 2004 and 2003 national surveys of Ethiopia under the IARP. Face-to-face interviews were conducted in towns and villages around the country, with the exception of Harari, Afar, Gambela, Benshangul-Gumaz regions, which make up less than 8% of the population aged 15 and above. Miz-Hasab uses a very small dedicated team of interviewers, who move around the country as a team, or at the most, divided into two teams. The advantage to this is that interviewers are very practiced at their task and tend to provide high-quality work. The disadvantage is the lengthy fielding process, which typically takes at least 3 months for a national survey of 2,000 households. After 2004 fieldwork was concluded, the final sample size included 2,011 completed interviews, which was reduced to 1,992 after data cleaning. Given a sample of this size, the range of error at the 95% confidence interval for the VOA weekly listening rates mentioned in this report would be no greater than 1.0% for the specific language services.

• Special Considerations: During the launch of this survey, VOA came under loud attack by the government of Ethiopia. The weeks just prior and during the initial training of interviewers on the questionnaire in May, the Ministry of Information accused VOA publicly, sometimes on the front page of its daily newspaper, of manipulating facts surrounding the unrest in Gambela. In the summer, there was even a government-organized anti-VOA rally planned, although apparently scratched due to low attendance. (Source: WAAG Communications) Although it is impossible to quantify, this may have had two affects on the survey: dragging fielding out several months as official letters of permission were severely delayed, and possibly increasing reported listening rates to VOA and possibly its competitor, DW. It should also be noted that fieldwork was postponed by 2 months at the last minute because of a change in broadcast clock by the Horn Service. Researchers wanted to give the audience time to adjust to the new schedule. Listening figures suggest that they did.

• Overall Reliability: This research gives us a good understanding of media use among adults in Ethiopia, as well as a good understanding of how that use compares to that in 2003. Both surveys were fielded by the Miz-Hasab Research Center, using similar sampling and weighting methodologies, and both raw samples produced similar demographic indicators, although the 2004 raw sample was less well educated overall. It is ORC Macro’s opinion that the Ethiopian survey results are some of the more reliable in Africa under the IARP, despite the lack of a developed infrastructure beyond MHRC.


48%

8%

1%

0.2%

0.2%

7%

Radio

Television

Mobile

Satellite

Computer

Cable

16%

34%

24%

FM

MW

SW

4%

10%

4%

SW

MW

FM18%

6%

2%

0.1%

Radio

Television

Newspapers

Internet

TV and Radio: Penetration and Use

• Media use has not changed significantly in Ethiopia in the past year. Access to radio has increased slightly, by six percentage points, and access to television has remained steady since 2003. Access to short wave has not budged, and access to both FM and MW has increased slightly in the same period. Changes in “yesterday” use for all media are within or very close to the margin of error from 2003 figures. Despite 2004 revisions to the press law, the average person Ethiopians have not experienced much if any change in the media environment.

Ownership/Access

“Yesterday” Use

Access to Waveband

Base: n=1,547 (adults 15 and older who own radio) in Ethiopia


“Yesterday” Waveband Use



0.1% 0.1%

Yesterday use Weekly use

Computers and Internet: Penetration and Use

• Internet use is still barely measurable in Ethiopia. One tenth of one percent of adults use it weekly or more. Most that do live in the capital, and probably follow typical African use trends: mostly in internet café’s, and mostly to send email. The very low base for these figures, however, suggest that we can not draw very reliable conclusions about any internet habits at all.

Internet Activity Among Users

Base: n=43 monthly internet users (adults 15 and older) in Ethiopia

Where did you use the internet?

Which activities used in last four weeks?

Internet Use


31%

9%

8%

6%

5%

4%

3%

3%

77%

5%

Send email

Games or entertainment

Work related tasks

Download software/files

Newsgroups, chat rooms

Find latest news

Listen to music

Pursue business opportunities

Listen to radio programs

Purchase an item

6 3 %

3 7 %

2 0 %

1 7 %

1 1 %

1 %

A t a n i n t e r n e t c a fe

A t w o r k

A t h o m e o f fr i e n d / r e l a t i ve

A t h o m e

A t s c h o o l / c o l l e g e /u n i ve r s i t y

P u b l i c L i b r a r y


62%

19% 17%11% 10%

1%1.1%1.8%2.5%5%

EthiopiaRadio

ETV Radio Fana FM VOA DW RadioTigray

AddisZemen

BBC AddisAdmas

Media Use: News and Information

• Related to radio and TV access trends are small changes in how people choose to get their news. As in 2003, people go to radio and friends or family most often, but a slight increase in radio access is concurrent with a slight decrease in using word of mouth for news. Television and newspapers are used for news at the same rate they were in 2003 (rather infrequently), but a slight increase in using international radio to get the news correlates with higher reach figures for both VOA and DW in 2004.

• Radio Ethiopia remains Ethiopians’ most important news source by a very wide margin. Interestingly, more people cite both it and VOA as an important news source than actually claim to listen to them weekly. This is likely testament to the strength of word of mouth in Ethiopia. People who listen to the news on ER or VOA likely tell their neighbors about it, and cite the source.

(Note: TV, radio and press are combined into one graph in the “most important” chart instead of one graph per medium, because there was only one TV program cited by the respondents, ETV, and for press, none of the newspapers or magazines were cited by more than 2% of the population.)

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

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

information?


25%14%

4% 2% 6%

52%

32%23%

15% 14%6% 5% 2% 2% 2%0.0%0.3%0.0%0.0%0.2%

Radio Friends/Family

Members

ReligiousServices

InternationalRadio

Television New spapers CommunityGatherings

Magazines InternationalTV

OfficialMeetings

Daily Weekly


Media Use: Leading Sources

• State owned ETV is the only television channel with any significant reach in Ethiopia. About one percent of adults watch something on the DSTV satellite service per week. The specific news channels available on DSTV, such as CNN, SABC from South Africa, and BBC World all have minuscule reach.

• Forty-four percent of the adult population listens to state-owned Radio Ethiopia weekly, about one in five to Radio Fana, which is not technically state-owned but run by the ruling party. FM is a music driven government station aimed at youth, and is popular in Addis Ababa.

(Note: The top graph includes international TV stations, whose impact do not merit a separate graph. International radio will be treated separately in dedicated graphs starting on p. 10.)

Press

Television

Radio


0.8%15%

5%4% 3%

44%

12%19%

Radio Ethiopia Radio Fana FM Radio Tigrigna

Listened yesterday Listened in past week

1.8% 1.8% 1.4% 1.1%

Addis Zemen Kal Kidan Tsingereda Addis Admas

Read in past week

0.2% 0.0% 0.1% 0.1% 0.0% 0.0%0.9% 0.3% 0.3% 0.2% 0.2% 0.2%

6%

15%

ETV DSTV CNN Int'l BBC World SABC Sky News MTV

Watched yesterday Watched in past week


Media Use: Listening/Viewing Times

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

“Yesterday”


VOA radio broadcast times

• Although the peaks and valleys of daily media use look very similar to those found in 2003, a noticeably larger proportion of the population (about 11%) are listening to radio at the 20:00 evening peak than were last year (7%).

• This time corresponds with when ETV and Radio Ethiopia broadcast their nightly news. Although it is important not to compete with the state services in their own timeslot, the newly expanded VOA Afan Oromo and Tigrigna broadcasts do occur at the single lowest point of listening during the day. VOA Amharic programs are broadcast a little later, when radio listening about doubles, but before the peak.

• There is no point during the entire day when more than 5% of Ethiopian adults are watching television.

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

5:00

6:00

7:00

8:00

9:00

10:0

0

11:0

0

12:0

0

13:0

0

14:0

0

15:0

0

16:0

0

17:0

0

18:0

0

19:0

0

20:0

0

21:0

0

22:0

0

23:0

0

0:00

Television Radio


21%7%

21% 23%

13%26%

DW VOA BBC

Spontaneous Prompted

International Broadcasting

• Both VOA and DW have increased awareness by 11 percentage points since 2003, BBC by a smaller 5 points. This is consistent with the earlier figures indicating slightly increased access and use of international radio generally.

• As in 2003, awareness of VOA is split quite evenly between spontaneous and prompted.

Awareness

Base: n=1,992 (adults 15 and older) in EthiopiaListening in Any

Language



Listening by Language

• VOA has regained, and DW perhaps slightly exceeded, any reach they may have lost between 2002 and 2003, when numbers were down for both broadcasters.

• Although BBC is considered the standard-bearer for international radio among respondents throughout most of Africa, they do not broadcast in any local language for Ethiopia, and do not present serious competition to either VOA or DW.

20%

44%47%

10.0%5.6%

1.1%

18.3%

11.5%

1.5%

DW VOA BBC

Weekly Annual

10.0%5.2%

1.3% 1.1%

18.3%

0.1%

11.0%

2.1% 0.2% 1.5%

DWAmharic

VOAAmharic

VOA AfanOromo

VOATigrigna

BBCEnglish

Weekly Annual

• Listening in Amharic has had the greatest impact on 2004 reach increases. While changes in the other two languages are within the margin of error, it is reasonable to assume, once the recent change in Afan Oromo and Tigrigna broadcast times are taken into account, that neither has gained, and Tigrigna may have actually lost audience in the last year.


36.1% 34.5%

13.7%0.4%

8.6%20.5%

67.7%60.0%

18.3%

37.1%

14.0%0.9%

DW Amharic VOA Amharic VOA AfanOromo

VOA Tigrigna VOA English BBC English

Weekly Annual

International Broadcasting

Listening Among University Educated

Base: n=156 (university educated adults 15 and older] in Ethiopia

Base: n=2,037 in 2002, n=1,966 in 2003; 1,992 in 2004

5.6%

10.0%

3.2%

6.0%5.3%

8.0%

2002 2003 2004

VOA DW

Listening Trends in any Language

• VOA trend figures, in particular, are close enough to the margin of error to be somewhat speculative. Although close to the margin of error, it seems safe to say that any drop in VOA listening that may have occurred in 2003 did not last into 2004. The negative but sustained press that VOA received from government media in the spring and summer of 2004 raised both awareness and reach for the station.

• Since most VOA listeners also listen to DW, the increased reach for the latter station may be an effect of the increase in VOA reach.

• Like elsewhere in Africa, the educated in Ethiopia are most likely to listen to international radio. Two thirds of all university educated listen weekly to DW in Amharic, and nearly as many listen to VOA. Quite a number of university educated Ethiopians also listen to BBC, indeed, comprising about one third of their entire national audience. The one exception seems to be VOA Tigrigna, as hardly anyone listens regardless of education level.


3.8% 6.5%5.0%11.1%

VOA Afan Oromo VOA Any Language

Weekly Annual

6.3% 6.3%

13.7% 13.7%

VOA Amharic VOA Any Language

Weekly Annual

1.1%

10.1%

1.9%

17.7%

VOA Tigray VOA Any Language

Weekly Annual

VOA Languages by Ethnicity

• The ethnic composition of VOA’s audience has changed dramatically since 2003. In 2003, less than 3% of Amhara listened to VOA. This year, Amharas deliver not only the largest audience numerically, but are the best penetrated ethnic group in Ethiopia for VOA’s Horn Service.

VOA Among Amhara

Base: n=847 (Amhara adults 15 and older) in Ethiopia

VOA Among Oromo

Base: n=460 (Oromo adults 15 and older) in Ethiopia

Base: n=305 (Tigre adults 15 and older) in Ethiopia

VOA Among Tigre

• What is most remarkable is the decline in listening to VOA in Tigrigna among the Tigre. In 2003, VOA Tigrigna had the best penetration of its target ethno-linguistic group, if the smallest audience numerically, of all 3 languages in the Horn Service. This has been reversed in 2004.

• If Tigre are not listening in Tigrigna, they are listening in some language, however, since “any language” reach is high at over 10%. That other language is Amharic. It is likely, that the change in the Tigrigna clock had something to do with this switch. While 93% of annual Oromo listeners are aware of the change, less than 45% of Tigrigna listeners are.

• The noted rise in weekly listening to VOA in their native language among the Oromo is not statistically significant. The 3.5% rise in any language listening, however, is significant, although the difference is smaller than among the Amhara. 5.2 % of Oromo listen to VOA Amharic weekly.


36%

13%

51%

VOA and DW

VOA only

DW only

International Broadcasting: Radio Overlap & VOA All Media Reach

Base: n=358 Weekly listeners to Major International broadcasters (adults 15 and older) in Ethiopia

Major International Station Weekly Overlap

• There is so little VOA TV viewing, television does not change VOA’s any media reach.

• About four times as many international radio listeners tune in to DW exclusively in a given week than to VOA. In fact, most VOA listeners listen to DW as well.

0.0%1.3%

0.1%

5.7%

VOA TV (all programs) VOA Any Media

Yesterday Weekly


VOA Any Media Reach


Radio Broadcaster Rankings

How trustworthy is the news and information heard on….?

(Percentage of any language annual listeners answering “very trustworthy/somewhat trustworthy”)

Base: 12-month listeners for each broadcaster (Any Language): Radio Tigrigna = 221; VOA = 494; BBC = 140; DW = 642; Radio Tosa = 129; Radio Ethiopia =

1717; Radio Fana = 1210; FM = 832;

72.7%

65.0%

64.7%

59.1%

54.8%

48.8%

12.2%

14.0%

23.3%

12.0%

27.8%

12.1%

14.3%

21.0%

52.0%

53.8%

Radio Tigrigna

VOA

BBC

DW

Radio Tosa

Radio Ethiopia

Radio Fana

FM

Very trustworthy

Somewhat trustworthy

• Both VOA and DW, the only international stations broadcasting in local languages, have better trustworthiness ratings than Radio Ethiopia, the main state channel, but VOA more significantly so. The station most trusted by its listeners, though, is Radio Tigrigna, run by the regional state government of Tigray, in the north of the country.


Audience Profiles: VOA Horn Service

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

VOA Base: 216 adults [15 and older] in Ethiopia, heard VOA in Amharic, Afan Oromo, or Tigrigna in past week

General Population Base: 1,992 adults [15 and older] in Ethiopia

• Most of the local language VOA audience in Ethiopia continue to be male, although female representation is up by three points since 2003. It also continues to be largely rural.

• The VOA audience in Ethiopia was atypically young in 2003, but looks to be getting even younger. Among people over 55 and in the early householder age bracket of 25-34, fewer are listening while significantly more people in their teens and early 20s are listening.

AgeSex

Education

VOA weekly reach: 5.6%

89%

11%

50% 51%

Male Female

VOA General Population

4%17%

25%

47%

5%6% 1%

35%

6%14%17%

23%

15-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+


2% 3%12%

63%

20%

41%

7% 1% 0.4%

52%

None Primary(Complete

orIncomplete)

IncompleteSecondary

CompleteSecondary

Higher


19%

81%

16%

84%

Urban Rural


Residence


Audience Profiles: VOA Audience Profiles

VOA Weekly Language Overlap

• While it is no surprise that Amharic has the largest number of exclusive listeners, it is also notable that there were no Tigrigna-only listeners found in the survey. Most Afan Oromo listeners also listen in Amharic. Less than 1 in 10 Ethiopian listeners tune VOA exclusively in a language other than Amharic.

Base: 216 adults [15 and older] in Ethiopia, heard VOA in Amharic, Afan Oromo, or Tigrigna in past week

All 31%

Amharic Only73%

Oromo Only7%

Amharic and Oromo17%

Tigrigna and Amharic

2%

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




VOA Amharic/Afan Oromo/Tigrigna Audience in EthiopiaWeekly Reach Among Demographic Segments

Education

AgeSex

• About one in ten adult males in Ethiopia listen to some VOA programming in a local language at least once per week. Just over one female in 100 does the same.

• VOA continues to reach well into the population with higher education, as it always has, but is doing noticeably better this year among those with only primary of some secondary education. This is, of course, because the broadcaster is doing better among those between 15-24 than it was last year.

10.1%

1.2%

Male Female

7.4% 5.9% 5.4%2.5%

4.9%1.4%

15-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+

1.3%

8.8%

16.3%20.7%

30.6%


orIncomplete)

IncompleteSecondary

CompleteSecondary

Higher



6.8% 5.4%

Urban Rural

Residence



VOA AmharicAnnual Audience Listening Behavior

On which waveband do you listen?

How long do you usually listen?

How would you characterize your reception of VOA

Amharic?Compared with a year ago, do you listen…?

• VOA modes of delivery have not changed, at least from a user perspective, since 2003. It is still almost an entirely SW environment, despite the presence of a VOA transmitter in Djibouti.The Djibouti AM transmitter, although omni-directional, broadcasts Arabic/Radio Sawa into Yemen and beyond, and doesn’t carry Ethiopian languages. Neither do the two FMs there, which likely can’t be heard anyway.) More annual listeners in 2004 than in 2003 were ignorant of the waveband they listen on.

• Most annual listeners are listening to an entire show (each language is 30 minutes) and rate reception as good to excellent.

• Listeners to the VOA Tigrigna and VOA Oromo service exhibit behaviors similar to that of the Amharic listeners. However, the relatively low levels of listening prevent a detailed analysis.

Base: 485 adults [15 and older] in Ethiopia, heard VOA in Amharic in past year

47%

7%

0%

46%

SW

AM

FM

Don't Know

1%

11%

15%

9%

4%

57%

5 minutes or less

6 to 10 minutes

11 to 15 minutes

16 to 20 minutes

21 to 25 minutes

26 to 30 minutes

43%

49%

6%

0%

UsuallyExcellent

UsuallyGood

UsuallyPoor

Bad

25%

19%

49%

Morefrequently

Lessfrequently

About thesame

VOA Amharic annual reach: 11.0%



VOA Amharic/Afan Oromo/Tigrigna Audience in EthiopiaWeekly Audience Attitudes Toward ProgrammingWhich topic is the

most important to you?

If there are things you VOA would do to improve, what

would you suggest?

• International news trumps local news in the interest of VOA weekly audiences, and to a noticeably greater degree in 2004 than in 2003. However, Ethiopians are starting to show an increasing interest in domestic versus international news.

• More airtime continues to be the number one recommendation of annual VOA listeners. More people this year noted that they want better broadcast times than last year. Last year, the number of people who wanted an improved signal was 20% higher than this year. This figure, with the good signal ratings cited earlier in the report, suggest that delivery may be improving.


57%

38%

3%

1%

1%

0.2%

0.4%

0.4%

International News

Domestic News

Agriculture

News about neighboringcountries

Health and medicine

Economics/ Business

Answers to listeners' letters

Life of Ethiopians in USA


47%

32%

24%

22%

18%

1%

1%

3.0%

4.2%

15.3%

More Airtime

Better Broadcast Times

Improve Signal

News About Local Topics

More Objectivity

Improve Balance of Programs

More Interactive Programs

Improve On-Air Presentation

Shorter Program Segments

More Music


Which programs or rubrics do you enjoy listening to or are important to you?

• Alem Bezih Samint continues to be viewed as VOA’s most important show in Ethiopia. It is followed by Ye Radio Mesihhet, and Kezam Kezam. The Americana magazine show is rated as the least important to listeners, as it was in 2003.


VOA Amharic/Afan Oromo/Tigrigna Audience in EthiopiaWeekly Audience Attitudes Toward Programming


72%

68%

65%

47%

44%

31%

30%

26%

19%

3%

1%

38%

39%

Alem Bezih Samint

Ye Radio Mesihhet

Kezam Kezam

Tena

Ethiopian Ba America

Mestawot

Americana Hezboh

Ye Behel Medrek

Ursha

Waa’ee Uummata Oromo Kana Beektuu Laata?

Africance Riisoch

Eritrea Weyan ab America

Africa beahynee Gazettat America



Audience Profiles: DW Amharic Service

DW Amharic Audience in EthiopiaWeekly Audience Composition

DW Base: 305 adults [15 and older] in Ethiopia, heard DW in Amharic in past week General Population Base: 1,992 adults [15 and older] in Ethiopia

AgeSex

Education

DW weekly reach: 10.0%

77%

23%

50% 51%

Male Female

DW General Population

4%14%20%

50%

6%6% 4%

35%

6%14%17%

23%

15-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+


1% 2%13%

66%

18%

41%

7% 1% 0.4%

52%


orIncomplete)

IncompleteSecondary

CompleteSecondary

Higher


20%

80%

16%

84%

Urban Rural


Residence

• Although it has grown in size, the DW audience in Ethiopia has remained very stable demographically. Like VOA, it has attracted a larger proportion of school-aged youth.

• Its audience continues to be largely male, rural, with at least some primary education.



DW AmharicWeekly Reach Among Demographic Segments

Education

AgeSex

• DW penetrates various demographic segments in similar measure to VOA, considering its larger audience size. It does somewhat better among those with incomplete secondary over those with complete secondary education, compared to VOA. Neither does very well among those with no education at all.

15.7%

4.5%

Male Female

14.1%8.7% 8.3%

4.5%9.5% 9.9%

15-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+

2.5%

16.3%

26.8% 24.7%

33.8%


orIncomplete)

IncompleteSecondary

CompleteSecondary

Higher


13.0%9.5%

Urban Rural

Residence




DW AmharicWeekly Audience Listening Behavior

On which waveband do you listen?

How long do you usually listen?

How would you characterize your reception of DW

Amharic?

• While there is no alternative to SW for international broadcasters in Ethiopian, a large minority of listeners can not say which waveband they listen to DW on. Most weekly listeners are tuning into the whole Amharic program, and also rate DW’s reception as good or excellent.

• Both VOA and DW listening behavior continues to suggest appointment listening to international radio in Ethiopia.

DW Base: 305 adults [15 and older] in Ethiopia, heard DW in Amharic in past week

72%

2%

0%

26%

SW

AM

FM

Don't Know

0%

1%

14%

1%

3%

1%

2%

66%

0%

11%

4 minutes or less

5 to 9 minutes

10 to 14 minutes

15 to 19 minutes

20 to 24 minutes

25 to 29 minutes

30 to 34 minutes

35 to 39 minutes

40 to 44 minutes

45 to 49 minutes


47%

49%

2%

0%

Usually Excellent

Usually Good

Usually Poor

Bad


Market Profile: Opinions and Attitudes


How important is it for you to stay informed about events in Ethiopia ?

How interested are you in politics?

• Ethiopians continue to feel it is very important to stay informed about events in their own country. The differences in responses to the question asked in 2003 and 2004 were within the margin of error. Ethiopians reported an increased interest in politics, however, from 2003, when only 23% said they were “very interested”.

80%

10%

1%

Veryimportant

Somewhatimportant

Not at allimportant

33%

21%

10%

19%

Veryinterested

Somewhatinterested

Not veryinterested

Not at allinterested


14%

26%

14%18%

11%12%13% 15%

10%11%10%7%

3%4% 3% 4%0%0% 1% 1%

Germany USA Great Britain S. Africa

Very favorably Somewhat favorably Neither/nor Somewhat unfavorably Very unfavorably

37%

7% 6%1% 1% 0.4%

Economicposition

Military power Technologicaladvancements

Support fordemocracy

Americanpersonalattributes

Politicalpower/influence

Market Profile: Opinions and AttitudesHow favorably inclined are you toward the following countries?


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

• While Ethiopians continue to be more favorably inclined towards the US than other countries mentioned, they were less willing to express their ratings this year. In fact, nearly twice as many declined to answer this question, across all countries, as did in 2003. While low education levels may account for some non-response generally, it is unlikely to account for a much higher incidence of non-response after only 14 months. It is possible that political factors were at play.

• Economic position is still the first thing that comes to mind when Ethiopians are asked about the US, followed distantly by military power and other factors.


Appendix I: Demographics


Language Spoken at Home

Foreign Language Knowledge

AgeSex

• The demographic composition of Ethiopia has remained stable, with the population split evenly between male and female, and over one third of adults 15 and are under the age of 25.

• One thing that has changed slightly is the prevalence of Amharic, as both a language spoken at home (up 4 points in the past year) and as a foreign language (up 3 points in the past year). Nearly 4 in 5 adult Ethiopians claim to have some knowledge of the language. Knowledge of English have both remained low but steady.

• As a language spoken at home, Tigrigna and Afan Oromo have maintained the same levels as in 2003. Both languages have experienced slight increases in the amount of persons who understand them as “foreign languages” (Afan Oromo is up 4 points from last year, and Tigrigna is up 1 point from last year.)

46%

28%

6%20%

Amharic AfanOromo

Tigrigna Other

32%

13%3% 6% 8%

Amharic AfanOromo

Tigrigna English Other

35%23%

17% 14%6% 4%

15-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+

Male50%

Female50%


26%

64%

10% 1% 0.1%

Not enougheven to buy

food

Enough forfood, butbuying

clothes isdifficult

Enough forfood and

clothes, notenough forexpensive

Can affordcertain

expensivegoods

Can affordwhatever we

want

52%41%

7% 1% 0%

None Primary(Complete orIncomplete)

IncompleteSecondary

CompleteSecondary

Higher



Education

Income

• Ethiopia remains a country where over half the population has never been to school. The largest segment of those who have comprises people who have some primary school. When combined with UN literacy statistics, these figures indicate that most, though not all, of those that attend primary school in Ethiopia learn how to read.

• One of the indicators that has changed most noticeably from 2003 to 2004 is self-reported wealth. Last year, 54% said they could not afford to feed themselves. Most of those people have moved into the next higher income category, and can afford food, but find buying clothing difficult. As in 2003, only 10% say they can afford both food and clothing, only 1% can afford certain expensive goods, and almost nobody can afford whatever they want. It is hard to say weather this represents a real shift in income, or more a function of the random sample.




Region Religion

• Ethiopia remains over 80% rural, with most of the population living in Oromiya and Amhara.

• The percentage of Muslims in Ethiopia has long been a politicized debate, no less so in the age of the War on Terror. Various sources have generally estimated the number of Muslims at just under half the population, with the rest being primarily Orthodox Christian. In this 2004 survey, that number fell from 48% to 33%, while Orthodox Christianity rose from 43% to 56%. This is unlikely to be a real change in religious affiliation, but rather a function of the distribution of those practicing particular faiths.

Catholic1%

Protestant10%

Muslim33%

Orthodox56%

Dire Dawa0.3%

Somali4.7%

Amhara27.6%

SNNPR19.7%

Addis Ababa5.1%

Tigray6.2%

Oromiya36.5%

Documents

International Broadcasting in Ethiopia Audience Analysis & Market Profile July-December 2004 National Survey Report 3224/04