A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF RURAL ACCESSBILITY TO MEDIA INFORMATION A CASE OF LUKAYA SUB-COUNTY MASAKA DISTRICT

ABSTRACT

The mode and level of information dissemination are crucial to social development. The rural communities are basic in realizing social change. But these have to be intensively informed so as to adapt to the new ways of life. The media therefore take the challenge to continuously pass on information to the rural masses.

This book presents the findings about the extent to which the media have served the rural communities with information, after studying whether the rural people give audience to the media and how they use the media to get information, if at all they do. The findings of the study in short show that the rural people are able to access radio more than any other media. Audience however is still low because people are limited by factors such as poverty, illiteracy, time and inappropriate programming by the media. Having identified the missing gaps in disseminating information to the rural people, the report suggests suitable ways by which the government, the media and other agencies can adopt appropriate policies for information accessibility by the rural people.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHATER PAGE

Declaration ............................................................................................. i

Approval. .............................................................................................. ii

Dedication ............................................................................................. iii

Acknowledgement .................................................................................. iv

List of abbreviations and acronyms ................................................................ v

List of tables .......................................................................................... vi

Abstract ............................................................................................. vii

CHATER ONE-JNTRODUCTION ............................................................. l

1.1 Background to the problem ..................................................................... 1

1.2 Statement of the problem ........................................................................ 3

1.3 Purpose of the study .............................................................................. 3

1.4 Aims of the study ................................................................................ .4

1.5 Significance of the study ........................................................................ 4

1.6 Scope of the study ................................................................................ 5

1.7 Hypotheses ........................................................................................ 5

1.8 Research questions ............................................................................... 6

1.9 Problems encountered ........................................................................... 6

CHAPTER TWO - LITERATURE REVIEW .................................................. 7

2.1 Introduction ....................................................................................... 7

2.2 Mass media defined .............................................................................. 7

2.3 Mass media functions ........................................................................... 7

2.4 Media significance in rural areas ............................................................... 9

2.5 Uganda's effo1i to educate the rural areas through the media ............................ I 0

2.6 The rural people and the media ............................................................... 10

CHAPTER THREE-METHODOLOGY .................................................... 12

3.1 Research design ......................................................................... 12

3.2 Population description ......................................................................... 12

3.3 Sampling procedure ............................................................................ 12

3.4 Data collection .......................................................................... 13

3.5Data quality control. ............................................................................ 13

3.6 Data analysis .................................................................................... 13

3.7 Ethical considerations .......................................................................... 13

Vlll

CHAPTER FOUR

PRESENTATION AND ANALYSS OF FINDINGS .......................................... 15

4.0 Introduction ................................................................................. 15

4.1 Number of respondents ...................................................................... l 5

4.2.0 Respondents composition ................................................................... 16

4.2.1 Sex composition .................................................................... 16

4.2.2 Age group ............................................................................ l 6

4.2.3 Marital status ........................................................................... l 7

4.2.4 Education level. ..................................................................... 18

4.2.5 Occupation .............................................................................. l 8

4.2.6 Income status ...................................................................... 19

4.3.0 Radio listenership ............................................................................ .20

4.3. I Transmission ......................................................................... 21

4.3.2 Ownership of radio sets ..................................................................... 23

4.3.3 Listening habits ................................................................. 24

4.3.4 Interpretation .................................................................... 27

4.4.0 Television audience .......................................................................... 32

4.4. l Transmission ....................................................................... 32

4.4.2 Ownership fTV set .................................................................... 32

4.4.3 Viewing habits ............................................................... 33

4.4.4 Interpretation ....................................................................... 34

4.5.0 Newspapers .................................................................... 35

4.5. I Circulation ......................................................................... 35

4.5.2 Readership patterns for newspapers ....................................................... 36

4.5.3 Interpretation ................................................................... 38

4.6 Limitations to media use in rural areas .................................................... 40

CHAPTER FIVE

RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION .............................. 42

5.1 Recommendations .........................................................44

5.5 Conclusion ................................................................................. .45

APPENDICES ......................................................... .. .46