GeoPoll’s Top Five of 2014

We’ve had an exciting year here at GeoPoll, partnering with organizations like the World Food Programme, the One Campaign, and USAID. We also launched our first subscription product, which produces daily media measurement data in Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, allowing broadcasters and advertisers in those countries to see daily ratings and audience size numbers for the first time. Using the power and widespread connection of the mobile phone, we have reached everyone from TV viewers in Nairobi, Kenya, to those living in Ebola-affected areas of Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia.

GeoPoll has an exciting year planned in 2015, and we can’t wait to share some of our new projects with you. For now, catch up on some of our favorite studies of 2014, and read about all of GeoPoll’s mobile surveys on our blog.

GeoPoll’s Top Five Projects of 2014

1. The US-Africa Leaders Summit: In August, President Obama welcomed leaders from throughout Africa to Washington, DC to partake in a historic summit, where African leaders discussed trade, energy, and security with both public and private US organizations. GeoPoll conducted two surveys around the Summit: the first was a project with the One Campaign, who sought the views of the African people as their leaders spoke with President Obama. We surveyed a total of 4,500 Africans from 9 nations, asking about their top concerns, and views on the US and other strategic partners. We also conducted a survey in collaboration with the Wall Street Journal, asking 2,000 respondents from Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, and Ghana about their views on the US’ trade policy in Africa, President Obama’s Power Africa program, and the effectiveness of the African Union. See the findings here.
2. World Cup Viewership in Africa: The World Cup was broadcast worldwide just after GeoPoll launched our Media Measurement Service, allowing us to release viewership numbers from several African countries for the very first time. . Among other statistics, we looked at the viewership of the opening game, and found that the Nigeria vs. Iran game drew in 17.5 million Nigerian TV viewers. GeoPoll also conducted a survey with The Guardian around the World Cup, asking Africans about their football viewing habits, who they were rooting for, and who they thought would ultimately win. See the results.
3. Insights on Ebola: The outbreak of the Ebola virus in West Africa has dominated the news in the second half of 2014, with aid organizations, governments, and private companies rushing to help stop the spread of the disease and mitigate Ebola’s long-term effects. With the World Food Programme, GeoPoll has been conducting ongoing mobile surveys on food security in Ebola-affected regions in Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia. GeoPoll’s data is helping the WFP determine the food security situation in these regions so they can more effectively distribute food aid in the area. You can see all of WFP’s reports on Ebola’s impact on food security here.GeoPoll also conducted a two-question survey in Sierra Leone and Liberia asking respondents about their perceptions of the international community’s response to the crisis, and what help is needed most in their community. We found healthcare facilities were needed most, and those in Sierra Leone and Liberia were in general satisfied with the international response to Ebola.
4. Mobile Money Use: Mobile money is increasingly popular in Africa, with many nations embracing the system of sending payments through mobile phones. GeoPoll conducted mobile surveys in Ghana, Uganda, and Nigeria on the awareness and use of mobile money services, finding that most respondents were familiar with mobile money, and Uganda had the largest percentage of mobile money users. Read more here.
5. Access to loans in Nigeria: GeoPoll worked with USAID’s Development Credit Authority, which helps those in emerging markets get access to loans. We conducted mobile survey with 750 respondents who work in agriculture in Nigeria, examining the perceived barriers to getting loans and the amount of money loan-seekers are looking to borrow. We found that many respondents cited collateral requirements as a barrier to getting loans, even though they are often looking for small amounts of money. See the full study and infographic here.