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Original title:
Statistics and stories: experimental evidence on HIV testing in Ghana
Authors: Adam, Salamatu Nanna
Document type: Research reports
Year: 2025
Language: eng
Series: CERGE-EI Working Paper Series, volume: 805
Abstract: Understanding what drives people to get tested for HIV is essential for designing effective communication strategies that promote test uptake. In this study, I use a randomized experiment to examine whether and how the format of information affects HIV testing behavior among university students in Ghana. Providing factual information on HIV incidence and the availability of nearby testing services increased actual testing rates by about 1 percentage point from a near-zero baseline. In contrast, adding a story about the testing experience to this statistical information did not generate any additional effect. Financial incentives, introduced non-randomly, raised testing rates to 11 percent. Interestingly, the impact of the original information treatments diminished when a financial incentive became available. Analysis of belief outcomes indicates that the information treatment primarily worked by increasing awareness of local testing services and correcting misperceptions about peer testing behavior, rather than by heightening perceived risk. However, stories did not enhance the treatment effect on beliefs or information recall beyond the impact of simple statistical facts. These results suggest that factual information can effectively address informational barriers to HIV testing in this context, while narrative elements offer no measurable added benefit for influencing this high stakes health behavior.
Keywords: beliefs; recall; statistics
Institution: Economics Institute AS ČR (web)
Document availability information: Fulltext is available at external website.
External URL: https://www.cerge-ei.cz/pdf/wp/Wp805.pdf
Original record: https://hdl.handle.net/11104/0373269
Permalink: http://www.nusl.cz/ntk/nusl-692822
The record appears in these collections:
Research > Institutes ASCR > Economics Institute
Reports > Research reports
Authors: Adam, Salamatu Nanna
Document type: Research reports
Year: 2025
Language: eng
Series: CERGE-EI Working Paper Series, volume: 805
Abstract: Understanding what drives people to get tested for HIV is essential for designing effective communication strategies that promote test uptake. In this study, I use a randomized experiment to examine whether and how the format of information affects HIV testing behavior among university students in Ghana. Providing factual information on HIV incidence and the availability of nearby testing services increased actual testing rates by about 1 percentage point from a near-zero baseline. In contrast, adding a story about the testing experience to this statistical information did not generate any additional effect. Financial incentives, introduced non-randomly, raised testing rates to 11 percent. Interestingly, the impact of the original information treatments diminished when a financial incentive became available. Analysis of belief outcomes indicates that the information treatment primarily worked by increasing awareness of local testing services and correcting misperceptions about peer testing behavior, rather than by heightening perceived risk. However, stories did not enhance the treatment effect on beliefs or information recall beyond the impact of simple statistical facts. These results suggest that factual information can effectively address informational barriers to HIV testing in this context, while narrative elements offer no measurable added benefit for influencing this high stakes health behavior.
Keywords: beliefs; recall; statistics
Institution: Economics Institute AS ČR (web)
Document availability information: Fulltext is available at external website.
External URL: https://www.cerge-ei.cz/pdf/wp/Wp805.pdf
Original record: https://hdl.handle.net/11104/0373269
Permalink: http://www.nusl.cz/ntk/nusl-692822
The record appears in these collections:
Research > Institutes ASCR > Economics Institute
Reports > Research reports
Record created 2025-12-27, last modified 2026-01-26