Impact Data - Together for a Happy Family Campaign

In 2001, higher proportions of men regarded modern family planning methods as safe, effective, and permitted by Islam. For instance, half of men in 2001 - as compared to 34% in 1996 - gave the Intrauterine Device (IUD) a score of 5 or more on a safety scale from 1 to 10. On the same scale, 22% of men in 2001 versus 9% of those in 1996 considered the condom safe. In addition, more men considered the pill to be an effective planning model in 2001 (50%) than in 1996 (44%). The percentage of men who said that the IUD was "allowed by religion" increased from 30% in 1996 to 55% 5 years later. Accordingly, the proportions of those who cited the use of specific modern methods as forbidden by Islam and those who did not know the religious stance of specific methods decreased from 1996 to 2001.

Nearly 80% of MIRHS respondents said avoiding unwanted pregnancies is a shared responsibility of both husbands and wives.

MIRHS respondents received a list of topics from which they ranked issues discussed and actions taken as a result of exposure to the campaign. Respondents ranked discussing issues with spouses and sharing decision-making as the top actions taken, and included treating sons and daughters equitably and starting to use a family planning method as other actions taken.

The proportion of men who used a family planning method and discussed it with their wives increased from 93% to 98% between 1996 and 2001. Among women, this difference was not significant. In 2001, the majority of men and women reported that they decided together on the number of children to have compared to about one-third of those who decided together in 1996.

The campaign promoted smaller family size and the use of family planning to improve the quality of life for families through a short poem used as introduction to the five TV spots and four mini drama episodes used in the mass media campaign and community leaders' mobilisation sessions. The ideal family size declined from 4.3 in 1996 to 3.8 in 2001.