Radio for a New Nation Angela Stephens | DEMOCRACY, HUMAN RIGHTS & GOVERNANCE USAID

In the first public opinion poll conducted in South Sudan, supported by USAID, 61 percent of South Sudanese interviewed said that radio is their primary source of news and information. The next most common source was “word of mouth” (16 percent). The nationwide poll of adults age 18 and over was conducted in September 2011 by Pechter Polls for USAID partner International Republican Institute.

For decades, radio waves have been the primary vehicle to disseminate information in Sudan, as in many places where literacy is low, electricity is inconsistent or uneven, and media options are few. But until eight years ago, most people in South Sudan did not have access to radio or any type of …