WHO targets COVID-19 messages to reach ethnic minorities in Georgia

Behavioural insights surveys conducted by the WHO Country Office in Georgia have led the way to better understanding the needs of key audiences in the country.

WHO/Europe directly supports 17 Member States and territories in conducting behavioural insights surveys, using a standard but adaptable tool, to gain the kind of insights into peoples’ perceptions that can help target how information is shared. The WHO Country Office in Georgia was the first country in the Region to conduct these surveys and continues to innovate in using the data they collect.

“The behavioural insights tool helped us to target the information and guided us on how to share it,” said Kakha Gvinianidze, WHO National Professional Officer in Georgia, who explains that the results from the first 3 rounds of data collection at the national level led them to conduct a 4th round, focusing on 2 specific regions, Kvemo Kartli and Samtskhe-Javakheti.

“We had an idea that the people in these regions would need information in Azerbaijani and Armenian, but the survey results confirmed this for us, along with many other important aspects, including the fact that people there were less aware about the virus and had lower risk perception,” reported Mr Gvinianidze. The team also learned that national television, where many campaigns are broadcast, was less popular, and overall satisfaction with the information received was lower than in the national-level surveys.