The effectiveness of media interventions promoting peace in low- and middle-income countries affected by intergroup conflict: a rapid review

Background: Global conflict-related deaths are at a 28-year high. Interventions that disseminate media content advocating for peace have been suggested as potentially effective in contributing to reduction in conflict – and have been studied in several contexts. Objectives: The primary objective of this review is to identify the effectiveness of these interventions in producing changes in conflict-related perceptions, beliefs, attitudes and behavioural intentions consistent with peace in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) affected by intergroup conflict. Methods: The review systematically identifies impact evaluations and synthesises their findings, drawing on rapid systematic review methods. Results: The review finds that media interventions promoting peace most commonly produce mixed outcomes (moderate confidence). Media interventions promoting peace may be effective in producing changes in particular attitudes, including more favourable perceptions of the desirability of intermarriage and other forms of intergroup integration, more positive self-efficacy beliefs and reduced deference towards leaders (limited confidence). The review also uncovers a number of possible facilitators of, and barriers to, the impact of media interventions promoting peace, including the need for high-quality content and the use of context-appropriate media. While the review draws on a modest body of studies that use appropriate research methods, including randomised controlled trials, it highlights several evidence gaps. Gaps include cost-effectiveness evidence, studies of longer-term outcomes and research in LMICs outside sub-Saharan Africa.