AEA RCT Registry

Trial Information

General Information

Title

Race Discrimination in Job Search.

RCT ID

AEARCTR-0011890

Initial registration date

August 03, 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

August 10, 2023, 1:22 PM EDT

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

Locations

Country

United States of America

Region

Primary Investigator

Name

Robert Mayo

Affiliation

Concordia College

Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

Additional Trial Information

Status

In development

Start date

2023-09-01

End date

2024-03-01

Keywords

Behavior, Labor

Additional Keywords

Discrimination, Field Experiment, Labor.

JEL code(s)

Secondary IDs

Prior work

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

Abstract

The purpose of this experiment is to determine if prospective job applicants discriminate in their choice of whether to apply for jobs based on the perceived race of the employer.

We will partner with a black owned company to place an employment ad for for an administrative assistant position. The advertisement will include instructions to email a company contact for more details on the position and application instructions. After an applicant is hired, a demographic survey will be sent to everyone who requested more information.

Respondents will be randomized to receipt of more job details including either:

[VERSION 1] "Thank you for your interest in a position with [COMPANY]."
[VERSION 2] "Thank you for your interest in a position with [COMPANY], a Black owned company."

The outcome measured will be the proportion of people who applied for the position after receiving more information in each treatment, broken down by the race of the prospective applicant.

External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation

Mayo, Robert. 2023. "Race Discrimination in Job Search.." AEA RCT Registry. August 10. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.11890-1.0

Sponsors & Partners

Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)

We will partner with a black owned company to place an employment ad for for an administrative assistant position. The advertisement will include instructions to email a company contact for more details on the position and application instructions. After an applicant is hired, a demographic survey will be sent to everyone who requested more information.

Respondents will be randomized to receipt of more job details including either:

[VERSION 1] "Thank you for your interest in a position with [COMPANY]."
[VERSION 2] "Thank you for your interest in a position with [COMPANY], a Black owned company."

Intervention Start Date

2023-09-01

Intervention End Date

2024-03-01

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)

The outcome variable will be the proportion of people who applied for the position after receiving more information in each treatment, broken down by the race of the prospective applicant.

Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)

Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

We will partner with a black owned company to place an employment ad for for an administrative assistant position. The advertisement will include instructions to email a company contact for more details on the position and application instructions. After an applicant is hired, a demographic survey will be sent to everyone who requested more information.

Respondents will be randomized to receipt of more job details including either:

[VERSION 1] "Thank you for your interest in a position with [COMPANY]."
[VERSION 2] "Thank you for your interest in a position with [COMPANY], a Black owned company."

The outcome variable will be the proportion of people who applied for the position after receiving more information in each treatment, broken down by the race of the prospective applicant.

Experimental Design Details

Not available

Randomization Method

Subjects will be assigned to one of the two treatments in alternating order of their email request for more information.

Randomization Unit

Individual.

Was the treatment clustered?

No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters

N/A

Sample size: planned number of observations

500

Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms

N/A

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

Supporting Documents and Materials

IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name

Concordia College IRB Dept. Chair Review.

IRB Approval Date

2023-01-04

IRB Approval Number

N/A

Analysis Plan