Elevating Positive Narratives: WhatsApp Campaign Effects on Migrant-Host Relations in Colombia

This experiment uses a between-subjects design to examine the impact of a communication campaign – created in collaboration with Innovations for Poverty Action and Barómetro de Xenofobia – targeting biases against Venezuelan migrants in Colombia. Against the backdrop of increased global migration and rising negative narratives about migrants, this study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a WhatsApp-based intervention.

Participants assigned to the treatment group will receive two 3-minute videos simultaneously via WhatsApp. Each video features interviews with three different individuals: the first with Colombian interviewees and the second with Venezuelan interviewees, highlighting positive interactions and contributions of Venezuelan migrants to Colombian society. The order in which these videos are received will be randomized to minimize any sequence effects. In one treatment arm, participants will also have the opportunity to discuss the videos in mixed groups of Venezuelans and Colombians, creating an opportunity for them to exchange thoughts on the videos and connect with one another.

In contrast, the control group will receive a modified version of the video where the narratives in these videos will not explicitly focus on migration or integration, serving as a placebo condition to isolate the impact of the migration-focused content in the treatment videos. Additionally, a pure control group will receive no experimental treatment, providing a baseline against which the effects of the intervention can be measured.

The study will assess various outcomes, including group relations, social norms, social integration, and attitudes toward migration policies. We this design, we seeks to provide empirical insights into how elevating positive narratives can influence attitudes and perceptions between migrants and the host society.

We are implementing a video intervention where the videos were recorded by Barómetro de la Xenofobia with support from the research team by the Innovations for Poverty Action. One treatment arm receives these videos directly, while another views them in groups consisting of Venezuelans and Colombians, allowing 24 hours for discussion. Below are the details of the interviews:

Video 1: Fundimusicol Interview - Mother of a Colombian Student
Profile: Mother of a Colombian student beneficiary of Fundimusicol.
Narrative Focus: Highlighting the positive experiences and integration of Colombian children through participation in Fundimusicol.
Key Images: Shots of music practice sessions and musical instruments being played.

Video 2: Fundimusicol Interview - Organization Director
Profile: Director and founder of Fundimusicol.
Narrative Focus: Insights into the vision and impact of Fundimusicol in fostering social integration through music.
Key Images: Scenes depicting music rehearsals and the staging of musical performances.

Video 3: El Ávila Gourmet Bakery Interview - Colombian Customer
Profile: Colombian frequent customer of El Ávila Gourmet.
Narrative Focus: Reflections on social integration facilitated by a Venezuelan-led bakery in Colombia.
Key Images: Production scenes in the bakery and interactions between employees and customers.

Video 4: El Ávila Gourmet Bakery Interview - Migrant Owner
Profile: Migrant owner of El Ávila Gourmet.
Narrative Focus: Insights into the entrepreneurial journey and cultural integration efforts of a Venezuelan migrant in Colombia.
Key Images: Bread production processes and interactions between the entrepreneur and her team.

Video 5: University Integration - Professor
Profile: Professor and coordinator of the master's program.
Narrative Focus: Experiences and insights gained by a university professor through teaching and interacting with Venezuelan students.
Key Images: Shots of engineering labs and classroom interactions.

Video 6: University Integration - Venezuelan Student
Profile: Venezuelan student at the University.
Narrative Focus: Personal experiences and perspectives of a Venezuelan student on integration within Colombian higher education.
Key Images: Close-up shots of the student studying and interacting with Colombian peers. This structured approach ensures that each video captures diverse perspectives and narratives, showcasing positive interactions and contributions of Venezuelan migrants in Colombia across different sectors of society.

2024-07-15

2024-08-02

Group Relations, Social Norms, Psychological Integration, Social Integration, Ingroup Satisfaction, Concerns about migration, Attitudes toward open migration policies

To create an index based on the measured survey items, we will first conduct a factor analysis. If the items load onto a single factor, we will compute factor scores or a weighted sum; otherwise, we will use a simple sum. Finally, we will standardize the outcomes for consistency and robustness.

This experiment employs a between-subjects design. Treated participants will receive a communication campaign consisting of two videos of approximately 3 minutes, each with 3 different interviewees (one video with 3 Colombian, other with 3 Venezuelan interviewees). Both videos will be sent at the same time in random order. Additionally, the control group will receive a different version of the video with some of the same interviewees but with narratives that are not explicit about migration and integration stories. There will also be a pure control that will receive no experimental treatment.

The comparisons between the arms will be conducted with the aim of allowing us to:
1) Understand the effects of exposure to narratives that emphasize positive experiences between Venezuelans and Colombians compared to no exposure to any narrative at all (T0) or exposure to Venezuelans and Colombians speaking on non-migration-related topics (T1); 2) Understand how exposure to such narratives in video form, coupled with an opportunity to discuss this topic with others, shapes the effects.

This experiment employs a between-subjects design with four arms to examine the effectiveness of different communication strategies on host-migrant relations, with a planned total of 2100 participants.

1. Pure Control Group (T0 - Pure Control): Participants in this group will not receive any experimental treatment nor video content related to migration or integration stories. They serve as a baseline to measure natural attitudes towards Venezuelan migrants.

2. Control Video Group (T1 - Control Video): Participants in the control group will receive videos directly through WhatsApp. However, even though these videos will be from the same interviewees, they will be edited with extracts that do not make references to migration and integration stories but rather contain a generic narrative by the interviewee. This group serves as an active control condition to assess the impact of the narrative itself rather than individuals sharing the story (which is why we are keeping the interviewees constant). Including this condition will also serve as a test of whether just exposure to Venezuelans and Colombians sharing their stories - not related to Venezuelan-Colombian group relations - can move the outcomes we measure.

3. Experimental Group (T2 - Direct Video Delivery): Participants assigned to this treatment arm will receive the videos directly through a WhatsApp message. These videos will showcase positive experiences and interactions between Colombians and Venezuelan migrants.

4. Experimental Group (T3 - Mixed Nationality WhatsApp Group): Participants in this treatment arm will receive the videos through a WhatsApp group consisting of a mix of Venezuelans and Colombians. Each group will consist of around 30 participants, and will be closed and eliminated once all research activities have been completed in up to 3 days. Additionally, it will be moderated by research staff to prevent and stop hate and xenophobia speech.

Randomization made using Stata prior to intervention start.

Individuals assigned to 4 groups (two treatment arms, one control and one pure control group)

No

0

2100

N=2100
Two treatment arms of 525 participants
One active control group of 525 participants
One pure control of 525 participants