Perceived Ease of Practice

Output

% of [specify the target group] who think that it is very or quite easy to [specify the behaviour]

The indicator measures the proportion of target group members who perceive a desired behaviour as relatively easy to practise. This perception can influence whether people adopt or continue practising the behaviour. However, perceived ease does not necessarily mean that people practise the behaviour or that practical barriers are absent.

Determine the indicator's value using the following methodology:

 

1) Define precisely which behaviour you want to assess, specifying who is expected to do what and, where relevant, how often or under which circumstances. For example, assess how easy or difficult it is for caregivers to give oral rehydration solution (ORS) to their children under five whenever they have diarrhoea.

2) Decide who you will collect the data from: from people who are already practicing the behaviour (the ‘Doers’), from people who are not practicing the behaviour (the ‘Non-Doers’) or from both:

• Collecting data from Doers can help you understand how difficult it is for them to practice the behaviour, as they report based on their personal experience. This experience is likely to influence their ability and willingness to continue practicing the behaviour in the long-term.

• On the other hand, interviewing Non-Doers will give you data that is primarily based on their assumptions of how difficult it is to practice the behaviour (unless they have already had previous experience practicing the behaviour). While such assumptions might be ‘incorrect’ (due to Non-Doers’ lack of experience), they are still very important, as they tend to have a major influence on whether the Non-Doers are likely to adopt the behaviour. 

• Collecting data from both groups helps you understand the perspectives of both Doers and Non-Doers. However, since each group gives you different types of data (experience versus assumptions), it is recommended that you do not mix the resulting data. Instead, report separately on the percentage of Doers and Non-Doers who think that practicing the behaviour is relatively easy. If you decide to interview both Doers and Non-Doers, account for this in your sampling strategy to ensure that you interview a sufficient and representative sample of each group.

 

 

3) Conduct individual interviews with a representative sample of your target group members:

• First, assess whether or not the respondent already practices the behaviour (take advantage of various guides provided in relevant sections of IndiKit). If you intend to measure the perceptions of Non-Doers, assess whether they are aware of the behaviour (only people who are aware of the behaviour should be asked about the ease of practice; others are not likely to give a meaningful answer).

• Next, assess the respondent’s perception of how easy or difficult it is to practice the behaviour (A1 below).

• If respondents say that practising the behaviour is difficult, it is recommended to ask what makes it difficult (Q2) and what could make it easier (Q3). Both questions can be useful for Doers and Non-Doers.

 

Q1: “Thinking about your own circumstances, how easy or difficult [is it / would it be] for you to [specify the behaviour]? Would you say very easy, quite easy, a bit difficult or very difficult?” (note: Use “is it” for Doers and “would it be” for Non-Doers)

A1: very easy; quite easy; a bit difficult; very difficult; does not know.

 

(the following questions are not mandatory but are highly recommended; ask only if the previous answer is ‘a bit difficult’ or ‘very difficult’)

 

Q2: “Why do you think that it is difficult to [specify the behaviour]?” Probe: “Anything else that makes it difficult?”

A2: provide pre-defined answers + option ‘other – specify: ………………’

 

Q3: “What would make it easier for you to [specify the behaviour]?” Probe: “What else would make it easier?”; “Anything else?”

A3: provide pre-defined answers + option ‘other – specify: ………………’

For Q2 and Q3, allow respondents to give more than one answer. Do not suggest possible answers to them.

 

 

4) To calculate the indicator’s value:

• count the number of respondents who stated that the behaviour is either very easy or quite easy to practice;

• divide this by the number of respondents in the relevant group (Doers or Non-Doers who are aware of the behaviour) who gave a valid answer to Q1; exclude respondents who answered “does not know”

• multiply the result by 100 to convert it to a percentage

Calculate the percentage separately for Doers and Non-Doers when both groups are surveyed. Report the number of respondents included in each calculation.

This data can be disaggregated by whether respondents practise the assessed behaviour (Doers) or do not practise it (Non-Doers), when both groups are surveyed. It can also be disaggregated by gender, age group, disability status, wealth category and location.

1) It is important that you assess the main reasons why some people think that it is not easy to practice the behaviour. Such information can help your intervention focus on addressing the (real or perceived) factors that make practicing the behaviour difficult.

 

2) Keep in mind that the ‘ease of practice’ might be prone to seasonal differences. For example, feeding a diverse diet to young children might be easy in the post-harvest period but difficult during the lean season. If you need to compare the indicator’s value at two different points of time, ensure that the times are actually comparable. Other changes, such as rising prices, reduced availability of services or insecurity, may also affect how difficult people perceive the behaviour to be. Consider these factors when interpreting changes over time.

 

3) When interviewing Non-Doers, it is recommended that the enumerators explain to the respondents that if they do not know how easy or difficult it is to practice the behaviour, it is perfectly fine if they say so. This will reduce the risk of Non-Doers saying something just because they feel like they should say it.

Also consider using the following indicators:

• Prevalence of Barriers to Change (measures how widespread specific barriers are, complementing the broader assessment of perceived difficulty)

• Perceived Self-Efficacy (assesses people's confidence in their ability to perform the behaviour, which is related to but distinct from perceived ease)

• Intention to Adopt a Behaviour (assesses whether Non-Doers plan to adopt the behaviour, helping distinguish perceived ease from intention)