Dalberg Advisors and LightCastle to Study Digital Literacy & Social Media Engagement in Bangladesh for the Australian High Commission

Dalberg Advisors and LightCastle Partners are collaborating with the Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade of the Australian High Commission (AHC) to conduct a study titled, “Survey and Report on Digital Literacy and Social Media Engagement in Bangladesh”, aiming to understand the extent and nature of how the citizens interact with various digital and social media platforms. The study will help AHC to understand the evolving media and audience landscape in Bangladesh to better design communications interventions.  

The 5-month long project envisions to provide a nationally representative understanding of the digital behavior of the population. More than 4000 individual interviews, 8 FGDs, and 20+ Ecosystem-level KIIs will be conducted as a part of the research process. The analysis will involve looking at different segments (urban, rural, men, women, and age groups) for granular insights.

It is expected that the findings will provide clarity as to how Bangladeshi citizens are interacting with different platforms, through which mediums, and for what purpose. Although internet and mobile penetration are referenced as the steps to a digital Bangladesh, statistics show literacy and digital skills are hindering optimum adoption. Hence, the study will also focus on access, usage, and security concerns regarding the use of digital/social platforms as well.

The study objectives also include gauging:

• Access & Affordability: The level of access and how it differs based on various parameters.
• Awareness & Literacy: How aware the citizens are about the different platforms and their ability to navigate them.
• Usage & Consumption: The extent and frequency to which the different platforms are utilized and the sources of news, entertainment, and other usage.
• Trust & Safety: The ability of users to fact-check content and navigate the web without risk

Triangulating the different components and perspectives, the study will provide a holistic understanding from all relevant stakeholders and provide a demographically relevant profile of Bangladesh’s social and digital media use.