Entertainment-education serial dramas measurably improve public health and social outcomes.

Evidence

The serial dramas have proven to be highly effective vehicles for reaching vast numbers of people over the prolonged periods needed to achieve major change. Viewers become deeply involved in the lives of the characters, who inspire them to take steps that can improve their lives. Radio versions of the serial dramas can reach vast rural populations. Airing of the televised serials is typically followed by improvement in the status of women, preference for smaller families, and adoption of contraceptive methods and self-protection against sexually transmitted diseases. The strength of the social impact increases as a function of level of exposure to the broadcasts. — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 2911

Categorization

• XREF: Connect to Bandura’s broader self-efficacy and social-cognitive theory — the mechanism is modeled behavior + efficacy building, which resonates with his other work and with narrative-transportation research.