Bill Ryerson, an expert on human population and the need to slow global fertility rates, discusses the population problem, policy problems, and history of population growth. The podcast also explores the success of Population Media Center's use of telenovelas and radionovelas to drive behavior change on population and gender violence. It touches on cultural perspectives on family size, the importance of family planning and economic growth through small family norms, and the urgent need for renewable energy and preserving the planet's habitability.
Entertainment, such as radio novellas and telenovelas, has proven to be highly effective in promoting behavior change in family planning and population growth.
These entertainment programs are able to address and overcome significant barriers to contraception use, such as cultural beliefs, misinformation, and opposition, by portraying relatable characters and challenging misconceptions.
The impact of these entertainment programs on behavior change is significant and sustainable, with fertility rates dropping and contraceptive use increasing even after the programs end.
Deep dives
The Power of Entertainment in Changing Behavior
Entertainment in the form of radio novellas and telenovelas has proven to be a highly effective tool in promoting behavior change, particularly in the context of family planning and population growth. By creating relatable characters and engaging storylines, these programs have successfully addressed cultural norms and influenced positive behavioral changes. For example, in Mexico, a program called 'Solidad' saw a 33% increase in clinic attendance, a 23% rise in contraceptive sales, and over 3,000 people signing up as volunteer promoters for family planning. Similar results were observed in Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, and northern Nigeria, where these programs not only educated and inspired audiences but also created a sense of emotional involvement and lasting impact.
Overcoming Barriers to Family Planning
Despite the availability of contraception, there are still significant barriers preventing its consistent use. These barriers include deeply ingrained cultural beliefs, misinformation about the safety and effectiveness of contraceptive methods, opposition from religious or male partners, and personal opposition to the idea of family planning. Through the power of entertainment, these obstacles can be effectively addressed and overcome. By portraying relatable characters in relatable situations, these programs can challenge misconceptions, provide accurate information, and inspire individuals and communities to embrace family planning as a means to improve their overall well-being.
Impact and Sustainability
The impact of these entertainment programs on behavior change has been significant. In Ethiopia, for instance, the fertility rate dropped by a full child per woman during the two-year broadcast of a program, and contraceptive use tripled among listeners. Importantly, these changes have proven to be sustainable, with behavior retaining even after programs go off the air. Studies have shown that the behavioral changes induced by these programs have lasting effects. Furthermore, evidence indicates that when fertility rates and contraceptive use do change after program broadcasts end, they remain at the new level instead of reverting to the prior norm.
The Role of Entertainment in Education
Entertainment has an unmatched ability to captivate and engage audiences, making it an effective medium for education and information dissemination. By crafting compelling storylines and relatable characters, these programs can effectively communicate complex topics and influence attitudes and behaviors. The emotional involvement evoked by entertainment enhances the retention and credibility of the information conveyed. It creates a lasting memory and allows audiences to connect with the messages on a deeper level. As a result, the power of entertainment can be harnessed to educate and inspire positive change at a scale that traditional educational approaches often struggle to achieve.
Platforming Kathleen Mogelgard
Kathleen Mogelgard, president of the Population Institute, would be a valuable platform for further discussion. She has extensive experience in policy and advocacy for family planning and population issues. With her expertise, she can provide insights into the challenges faced in promoting family planning on a global scale and offer solutions for addressing these challenges. Kathleen Mogelgard's valuable perspective can shed light on the importance of political support and funding for family planning initiatives and the broader implications of empowering women and girls in achieving stability and sustainability.
Human population is a problem—tackling it through education isn’t.
We need to slow our global fertility rate to 1.5 children per woman if we’re to lower our population to a sustainable level of around 3 billion. That decline is already happening in many post-industrial nations, to the chagrin and panic of their leaders. However, many cultures around the world still prize large families. But in a world of increasingly scarce resources like water, limiting family sizes remains the main driver of some campaigners, including Bill Ryerson.
Bill is an ecologist and founder of the Population Media Center, an initiative which creates mainstream entertainment in many nations around the world, pushing the needle on cultural practices to drive behaviour change on population and even gender violence. PMC produces telenovelas and radionovelas which have seen fertility rates decline in nations they’ve been shown.
Bill and I spend the first half of the episode talking about the population problem, the policy problems, the history of population growth. He then introduces the concept of the demographic dividend, which showed that small families actually lead to economic growth, before explaining the successes and heartwarming stories of the work PMC has done around the world.
Planet: Critical investigates why the world is in crisis—and what to do about it. Support the project with a paid subscription.