Discrimination in a nationwide experiment

Last registered on July 28, 2023

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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title

Discrimination in a nationwide experiment

RCT ID

AEARCTR-0011830

Initial registration date

July 23, 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

July 28, 2023, 1:39 PM EDT

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

Locations

Country

Germany

Region

Primary Investigator

Name

Thomas Rittmannsberger

Affiliation

Technical University of Munich, School of Management

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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name

Silvia Angerer

PI Affiliation

UMIT Tirol

Contact Investigator

PI Name

Philipp Lergetporer

PI Affiliation

Technical University of Munich

Contact Investigator

PI Name

Daniela Glätzle-Rützler

PI Affiliation

University of Insbruck

Contact Investigator

PI Name

Hanna Brosch

PI Affiliation

Technical University of Munich

Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status

In development

Start date

2023-07-25

End date

2023-09-01

Keywords

Behavior

Additional Keywords

Discrimination, Field Experiment

JEL code(s)

C93

Secondary IDs

Prior work

This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.

Abstract

Discrimination against minority groups is a widespread social issue with profound implications for individuals and society. Extensive research has shown that discrimination based on attributes like race, gender, or religion is present in various sectors of society. However, most studies focus on specific subgroups, leaving a significant gap in our understanding of discrimination within the general population. We address this gap by conducting a large-scale other-other allocation task with a representative sample of the German population. Our project aims to study the extent of discrimination against Turkish migrants from the general population while controlling for other potential confounding factors.

External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation

Angerer, Silvia et al. 2023. "Discrimination in a nationwide experiment ." AEA RCT Registry. July 28. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.11830-1.0

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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)

We investigate whether discrimination against Turkish migrants is present in the German public. Therefore, we plan to run a large-scale artefactual field experiment with a nationally representative sample of the German population, where participants play an incentivized other-other allocation task.

Following Cappelen et al. (2022), participants will be asked to allocate a fixed amount of money (4 euros) between two individuals, randomly differing in Turkish migrant background and other characteristics such as age, gender, and educational background. This experimental conjoint design enables us to measure, the extent of discrimination Turkish migrants face from the general population while controlling for other potential confounding factors.

Intervention Start Date

2023-07-26

Intervention End Date

2023-08-18

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)

Discrimination against Turkish migrants: Whether migration status influences the amount allocated to a person.

Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)

We will investigate effect heterogeneities by gender and political affiliation and home region, as we expect that the propensity for discrimination is more pronounced among males, individuals with right-wing political leanings, and those living in regions with a sparse Turkish migrant population

Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

We plan to sample a minimum of 2,000 adults aged between 18 and 69 years (up to a maximum of 2,500 — conditional on final costs; also see “Experiment characteristics”).
The experiment is conducted in cooperation with a survey institute. The recruitment and polling are managed by the survey institute. We collect the data via an online platform (QUALTRICS). Our participants take part in the experiment autonomously on their own digital devices. Randomization is carried out by the survey institute at the individual level, using a computer. Payment of incentives is carried out anonymously by the survey institute

Our experiment is structured as follows:
Respondents will be seeing two persons with randomly drawn attributes (gender, age, education, and migration status) and must allocate 4 euros between them.

Experimental Design Details

Randomization Method

Randomization is carried out by a computer.

Randomization Unit

At the individual level

Was the treatment clustered?

Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters

2,000 individuals (adults aged between 18 and 69 years). (maximum: 2,500 – conditional on final survey costs)

Sample size: planned number of observations

6,000 choices. (maximum 7,500 - conditional on final survey costs)

Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms

2,000 individuals (1,000 per treatment). (maximum: 2,500 (1,750/1,750) – conditional on final survey costs).
According to our conservative cost calculations, we have sufficient funding for sampling 2,000 individuals. Depending on the final costs of the survey, we envisage continuing sampling up to a maximum number of 2,500 individuals.

Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)

Supporting Documents and Materials

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