Supernatural Beliefs About Illness and Modern Medicine Use:
Evidence from the D.R. Congo
In many societies around the world, people attribute illness to supernatural forces, including deities, spirits, and malevolent agents. Using observational data from sub-Saharan Africa and an original large-scale survey in the Democratic Republic of Congo, I show that supernatural beliefs about illness are common and relevant for health behavior. They are associated with higher use of traditional healers, lower use of modern medicine, lower beliefs about the effectiveness of modern medicine, and higher stigma toward those with illness. Then, I conduct a field experiment and ask whether it is possible to shift beliefs and increase the take-up of modern medical treatment. In a representative sample of the city, I randomize an informational video about the biomedical origin and treatment of epilepsy, a prevalent disease commonly associated with supernatural forces. The intervention shifts respondents’ beliefs away from supernatural causes and toward modern medicine’s effectiveness for epilepsy as well as for other conditions. The intervention reduces stigma toward those with the disease and increases take-up of a free hospital consultation for epilepsy by 50%.