Which Channel to Use for Migration Policy Implementation? Evidence from an Over-Time Survey Experiment in Nigeria

It is becoming a stylized fact that the critical determinant of migration behavior is migration networks. One central reason for it is information provision. Migration information campaigns, a policy tool currently implemented by European governments in potential sending countries, have a similar aim: to inform about the topic of migration to achieve an attitudinal and behavioral change. Evidence on the effectiveness of this information provision is scarce and contradicting. While theoretical research literature doubts the effectiveness due to a lack of trust in the sources of information, recent empirical tests find an effect when having a local or an international NGO as information sender. With this study I attempt to shed some light on the moderating role of sender credibility when influencing migration through information campaigns. In an online survey experiment, we study six information sender generally used for policy implementation: NGOs, governments, and social contacts, each varying in being international or local. The survey is implemented over three panel waves in Benin City, Nigeria and comprises three treatments (T1-T3). T1 manipulates the processing motivation, T2, the information sender, and T3, implemented in wave 2, focuses on durability enhancing opportunities through different forms of repeated exposure. The combination of an over-time panel survey structure with a random assignment to each treatment allows for comprehensive analyses and profound insights into the mechanisms at work. The results will contribute to the general information campaign literature and enhance a deeper understanding of the role of information in migration decision making. An enhanced level of knowledge on migration campaign implementation is also politically highly demanded due to the campaigns as a policy tool.