Campaigns to End Violence against Women and Girls - Virtual ...

information. See Monitoring and Evaluation in this module for guidance on data
collection.
Formative research may also include a baseline study, i.e. an initial assessment of the
situation the campaign aims to change. Ideally, this assessment should be conducted in
the early campaign planning stages, well before any campaign activities take place. The
baseline study provides a critical reference point for assessing changes and impact, as it
establishes a basis for comparing the situation before and after an intervention, and for
making inferences as to the effectiveness of the campaign.
In campaigns for policy/institutional change, research on legislation, policies and their
implementation are the most common data needed for baselines (see also Policy
Analysis in this module). In behaviour change campaigns, a baseline would typically
collect data on knowledge, attitudes and practice (KAP) of the target audience with
respect to the campaign issue. For guidance on data collection, please see Monitoring
and Evaluation in this module. See also Baseline assessment.
Example: Freedom from Fear, a 10-year advocacy education campaign in Australia,
focused on perpetrators of domestic violence and men at risk of perpetrating domestic
violence. Formative research included qualitative research with the primary target group
to investigate awareness, attitudes and beliefs about domestic violence, and to explore
potential communication messages regarding their acceptability, credibility and potential
to change attitudes and behaviours. Based on the findings, the campaigners decided on
two types of messages:
(1) A “consequences” message focusing on the damaging impact of domestic violence
on children, considering that all target audience participants in the formative research
expressed strong attachment to their children (while very few expressed any feelings of
fondness for their partners). Furthermore, many respondents were able to relate to their
own feelings from their childhood, when they witnessed or experienced domestic
violence.
54
Campaigns December 2011