Overcoming negative ethnic sentiments: A compassion intervention

Last registered on June 30, 2025
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Overcoming negative ethnic sentiments: A compassion intervention
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0011153
Initial registration date
April 05, 2023

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
April 05, 2023, 12:08 PM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Last updated
June 30, 2025, 4:02 AM EDT

Last updated is the most recent time when changes to the trial's registration were published.

Locations

Country
Austria
Region
Country
Czechia
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Wieland Mueller
Affiliation
University of Vienna
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Melis Kartal
PI Affiliation
Vienna University of Economics and Business
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Christian Koch
PI Affiliation
University of Vienna
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PI Name
Tomáš Miklánek
PI Affiliation
Prague University of Economics and Business
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
Completed
Start date
2023-04-20
End date
2024-04-17
Keywords
Behavior, Health, Other
Additional Keywords
Discrimination, Informational Interventions, Compassion, Online Survey Experiment
JEL code(s)
J15, J71, C93
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
Our study aims to investigate whether 'informational interventions' can help reduce anti-minority sentiments. Specifically, we will conduct an online survey in the Czech Republic. The Roma community in the Czech Republic continues to be one of the most marginalized and discriminated against groups worldwide. Initially, we elicit people's attitudes towards the Roma community. Some participants are then shown a video portraying the fictional life story of a Roma girl, aimed at evoking compassion. Finally, we assess participants' willingness to support the Roma community using self-reported and behavioral measures.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Kartal, Melis et al. 2025. "Overcoming negative ethnic sentiments: A compassion intervention." AEA RCT Registry. June 30. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.11153-1.4
Sponsors & Partners

Sponsors

Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention (Hidden)
Intervention Start Date
2023-04-20
Intervention End Date
2023-06-17

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Policy preferences regarding Roma (children & adult), charitable donation
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We will conduct an online survey experiment with a representative sample of the Czech majority population. Firstly, we elicit participants' attitudes towards Roma children and Roma people in general. Using a between-subject design, we randomly assign participants to one of two treatment groups or one control group. In both treatment groups, participants watch a video portraying the fictional life story of a Roma girl that is arguably representative of the experience of many Roma children. We present her story with the aim of evoking compassion. In the first treatment group, her life is presented by a well-known Czech actor, while in the second treatment group, a priest narrates it.

Following the intervention, we assess participants' support for the Roma community by asking their opinions on two policy issues. Importantly, we also provide participants with the option to donate money to a charity supporting Roma children. Finally, we pose several questions to gauge participants' knowledge about the Roma community, their attitudes towards them, and their perceptions of the speakers, with the aim of shedding light on various mechanisms through which the interventions may reduce discriminatory attitudes towards the Roma community. We will vary whether we assess relevant variables directly after the intervention or two weeks afterwards.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Randomization done in office by a computer
Randomization Unit
Individual
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
5000 individuals.
Sample size: planned number of observations
5000 individuals.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
Control: 800, Treatments: 4200
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Institutional Review Board at the Center for Science and Research of the Faculty of Business Administration, Prague University of Economics and Business
IRB Approval Date
2022-12-23
IRB Approval Number
05/2022
Analysis Plan

Analysis Plan Documents

Pre-Analysis Plan

MD5: 685cb18b2739d464d941ab24bd63c8da

SHA1: 7905fbfc68112aa4942a6e0bc50b253cbe15f0a0

Uploaded At: April 19, 2023

Pre-Analysis Plan Update

MD5: eb1111e4d5eca07dbabcf19f2d23dba2

SHA1: 36d13f90c444a2f797b1720e50f8483be01055b1

Uploaded At: May 08, 2023

Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
No
Data Collection Complete
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials