Monitoring Shifts in Social Norms: A Guidance Note for Program Implementers

While the study of social norms is not new, there has been a surge in interest in recent years and a need for guidance for international development programs that seek to shift social norms as part of social and behavior change programming. A focus of these efforts has been highlighting best practices for both shifting norms in programs and the measurement and evaluation of social norms. However, there has been a lack of consensus and guidance on how to systematically monitor social norms shifts during program implementation. From the Social Norms Learning Collaborative, this guidance note provides insights and recommendations on how to monitor social norm shifts in community-based programs, drawing on a review of literature, experiences, and learning. It is intended for practitioners across sectors, who are responsible for designing, implementing, and monitoring social and behavior change programs. The guidance note focuses on monitoring initial shifts in social norms, and highlights other important considerations for monitoring programs with strategies to shift norms, covering: what to monitor, how to monitor, and recommendations for programs.