Behavior of Public Transit Passengers: Theory and Field Experiments

Last registered on April 18, 2023
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Behavior of Public Transit Passengers: Theory and Field Experiments
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0011273
Initial registration date
April 14, 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 18, 2023, 5:13 PM EDT

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

Locations

Country
China
Region
Beijing

Primary Investigator

Name
Siyu Wang
Affiliation
Wichita State University
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2023-03-27
End date
2023-09-30
Keywords
Behavior
Additional Keywords
transportation economics, herd behavior, public goods, safety
JEL code(s)
C93, R41
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
We conduct a series of field experiments to understand the behavior of passengers on public transportation. There are three research questions we are addressing. First, how do passengers estimate the probabilities of having incidents when the incidents are associated with others versus themselves? Second, what are the factors determining whether passengers choose to take the elevator or escalator at subway stations? Third, how do passengers decide which exit to take? Hundreds of subjects will be recruited for both experimental games and surveys. Information and other types of interventions will be implemented after collecting the data. Further analysis on the effectiveness of these interventions will be performed.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Wang, Siyu. 2023. "Behavior of Public Transit Passengers: Theory and Field Experiments." AEA RCT Registry. April 18. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.11273-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention 1: asking passengers to estimate the probabilities of incidents on others and themselves; providing incentive for estimation or not
Intervention 2: providing different news stories to see whether people change their choices of elevator and escalator
Intervention 3: providing different aspects of information to emphasize the advantage and disadvantage of herding behavior, see how it change the choice of exits
Intervention Start Date
2023-04-24
Intervention End Date
2023-07-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Outcome of Intervention 1: estimated probabilities
Outcome of Intervention 2: choice of elevator and escalator
Outcome of Intervention 3: choice of exits
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Intervention 1: asking passengers to estimate the probabilities of incidents on others and themselves; providing incentive for estimation or not
Intervention 2: providing different news stories to see whether people change their choices of elevator and escalator
Intervention 3: providing different aspects of information to emphasize the advantage and disadvantage of herding behavior, see how it change the choice of exits
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
NA
Sample size: planned number of observations
700-1500 passengers for three interventions
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
around 100 passengers
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
IRB Approval Date
IRB Approval Number
Analysis Plan

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