The Audience Research for Development Communications study was conducted by USAID Guatemala in 2016 among sixteen different audiences, or groups of people for whom development is important. USAID wanted to learn more about these people in terms of how they perceive development, communications and USAID’s work. With this deeper understanding, USAID can engage better with Guatemalans to reach development goals that mutually benefit Guatemala and the United States of America.

The state-of-the-art formative communications research was conducted in seven of Guatemala’s twenty-two departments and combined quantitative and qualitative methodologies that produced complementary data and gave USAID and its implementing partners a rich basis for future programming. The study was culturally-sensitive and appropriate for the multiple Guatemalan socio-linguistic groups.

The study is used to fully implement the USAID Guatemala Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) Communication Strategy, as a baseline for monitoring communications activities and as a resource for staff and implementing partners for social and behavior change programming.