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How to Measure Narrative Change

by Stanford Social Innovation Review

Published | May 2025

Building narratives

Summary

The article outlines a flexible four-part framework to help organisations measure the impact of narrative change on beliefs, behaviours, culture, and institutions.

Why read

This framework provides tools to assess whether storytelling efforts are effecting desired changes in public perception and policy. By adopting this approach, civic actors can enhance their strategies, demonstrate effectiveness to stakeholders, and refine their messaging to better support democratic engagement and social justice.

Description

The article presents a practical guide for organisations aiming to evaluate the effectiveness of their narrative strategies. It acknowledges the challenges in tracing the direct effects of storytelling on social change but offers a structured method to connect storytelling efforts with measurable outcomes. The framework is adaptable, allowing organisations to tailor it to their specific goals and contexts, thereby facilitating continuous learning and improvement in narrative-driven initiatives.

Recognising the complexity and non-linear nature of social change, the framework offers a flexible approach to evaluate how storytelling influences beliefs, behaviours, culture, and institutions. Developed by social scientists and practitioners, it encourages organisations to adapt the framework creatively to their unique contexts.

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