Behavioural analytics and social media to better inform crisis-affected communities
Challenge
Displaced Venezuelans face challenges accessing information to inform their choices on arrival in Brazil. Social media can be an effective outreach tool, but UNHCR lacks evidence of the effectiveness of its social media use to both communicate critical information to Venezuelan refugees and asylum-seekers in Brazil and support protection work.
Solution
To optimize the choice architecture (how different options are presented, as well as the available tools to help people make decisions) accessible to displaced Venezuelans, UNHCR will use behavioural analytics to quantify and inform interventions – such as information campaigns – and correlate these initiatives to refugee decisions and behaviour.
Impact
Improved, evidence-based communication will enable refugees and other conflict-affected communities in Brazil to make well-informed decisions, maximising their protection, health, education access, social and economic inclusion, and dignity.
Project impact
Other information
UNHCR Brazil developed, alongside MAGENTA, its first comprehensive Social and Behavioural Change Communications (SBCC) strategy, applying behavioural science and human-centred design techniques to improve refugee integration outcomes. Through participatory research and co-design with refugees, Indigenous communities, UNHCR staff, and partners, the project identified barriers preventing access to education, employment, and public services and translated them into targeted communication pathways. The strategy combines digital channels such as WhatsApp, Facebook, and UNHCR platforms with trusted community-based approaches, including community leaders and face-to-face outreach, to reach both urban and indigenous populations. The resulting framework provides UNHCR Brazil with an evidence-based, scalable model for increasing access to services, strengthening self-reliance, and supporting the long-term integration of Venezuelan refugees and migrants across the country. Read more about this project on MAGENTA's website.