Who You Text Matters : Gendered Effects of Text Message Framing and Social Influence on Youth Training Enrollment

Overview & Synopsis

This study evaluates a randomized trial in Côte d’Ivoire, implemented by the Africa Gender Innovation Lab (GIL), which tested whether varying the content and recipient of SMS reminders can increase enrollment among young people who had pre-registered for a skills training program. Messages sent only to young people had no effect. However, when both youth and a nominated contact - often a parent or spouse - received reminders, enrollment shifted in ways that were strongly gendered: the same message can encourage young women while discouraging young men, and male contacts exerted greater influence over decisions than female contacts. Message framing also mattered. Emphasizing long-term career benefits reduced enrollment among men, while highlighting that the program was free discouraged participation among both genders. The only positive effect occurred when career-focused messages were sent to women and their male contacts. These findings underscore the importance of trust, perceived credibility, and social dynamics in shaping program take-up, highlighting the need for careful diagnostic work and context-aware communication strategies when engaging youth and their networks.