How to Measure Mindset Shifts on Gender and Social Inclusion

The SUNCASA project utilizes a monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) framework to track changes in gender and social inclusion norms among participants in Ethiopia, Rwanda, and South Africa. Using pre- and post-training surveys with Likert-style questions, the project recorded an 82% increase in participants' knowledge of GESI issues, exceeding its 50% target. The project emphasizes an intersectional approach to identify how learning outcomes vary by gender, age, and marginalized status, specifically noting significant gains in household power dynamic awareness among women in Kigali and social equity understanding among youth in Johannesburg.

• The SUNCASA project achieved an 82% increase in participants' knowledge of gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) issues following training sessions, which significantly exceeded the project's initial target of 50%.
• To measure mindset shifts, the project employed Likert-style questions in pre- and post-surveys, where respondents rated agreement on a scale from 1 (“strongly disagree”) to 5 (“strongly agree”). Because surveys were anonymous, the project analyzed results by calculating the average pre-survey score for a group and measuring the percentage of participants who scored above that average in the post-test.
• In Kigali, training led to a notable shift in perceptions of household power dynamics; the average score for confidence in understanding these dynamics rose from 3.6 (“neutral”) to 4.7 (“agree”), with women showing a score increase of nearly 1.5 points compared to 0.7 for men.
• In Johannesburg, youth (ages 15–34) showed a more dramatic increase in their understanding of social equity than adults, with agreement rising from 64% in the pre-test to 93% in the post-survey, while adults rose from 85% to 93%.

APA

Heaney,, N. (2026). How to Measure Mindset Shifts on Gender and Social Inclusion. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/articles/explainer/how-to-measure-mindset-shifts-gender-social-inclusion

Chicago

Heaney,, Nicole. How to Measure Mindset Shifts on Gender and Social Inclusion. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2026. https://www.iisd.org/articles/explainer/how-to-measure-mindset-shifts-gender-social-inclusion.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Heaney, |first1=Nicole |title=How to Measure Mindset Shifts on Gender and Social Inclusion |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=26 February 2026 |url=https://www.iisd.org/articles/explainer/how-to-measure-mindset-shifts-gender-social-inclusion |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{heaney2026how, author = {Heaney,, Nicole}, title = {{How to Measure Mindset Shifts on Gender and Social Inclusion}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2026}, month = feb, url = {https://www.iisd.org/articles/explainer/how-to-measure-mindset-shifts-gender-social-inclusion}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }