Statistics and Stories: Experimental Evidence on HIV Testing in Ghana

Salamatu Nanna Adam

CERGE-EI Working Papers from The Center for Economic Research and Graduate Education - Economics Institute, Prague

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; Stories/Narratives; Statistics; Information; Incentives (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D83 D91 I12 J13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025-12
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-exp and nep-nud
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