Preferences for Network Partners

We run a stated-choice experiment among newly enrolled undergraduate students at a large public University in Germany. Participants state, for a series of ficticious profiles of fellow students, whether or not they consider subjects with respective profiles as potential network partners. Profiles are described by characteristics (study field, gender, mother tongue other than German, main study motive, A-level GPA) and personality traits (conscientiousness, altruism, competitiveness, self-efficacy). In all dimensions, attributes are randomly drawn.

2023-10-24

2023-11-15

Indicator for whether or not subjects consider a given profile as representing a potential network partner

Response items are 'yes', 'no', and 'maybe'. We will construct an indicator defining a profile as 'accepted as network partner' if the response is 'yes'.

We will run robustness checks using an indicator defining a profile as 'accepted as network partner' if the response is 'yes' or 'maybe'.

We run a stated-choice online experiment among newly enrolled undergraduate students at a large public University in Germany. Participants state, for a series of ficticious profiles of fellow students, whether or not they consider subjects with respective profiles as potential network partners. Profiles are described by characteristics (study field, gender, mother tongue other than German, main study motive, A-level GPA) and personality traits (conscientiousness, altruism, competitiveness, self-efficacy). In all dimensions, attributes are randomly drawn. 'Mother tongue other than German' is either empty or takes values 'Spanish', 'Turkish', or 'Arabian'. The dimensions A-level GPA and all traits take values 'above average=yes' or 'above average=no'. Participants state, for each profile separately, whether or not they consider a given profile as representing a potential network partner. The stated choices are incentivized: Subjects are informed that after the survey, they will be invited to an online networking event where they will be matched with fellow students in accordance with the (mutually stated) preferences over network partners. Subjects who truthfully state their preferences thus increase their chances to meet fellow students with preferred charcteristics. To test to what extent stated preferences reflect preferences over mating partners rather than network partners, three out of the nine profiles rated in total do not contain information on gender. Using only the subset of profiles without gender information, we will test to what extent preferences obtained from the set of complete profiles are robust to not revealing gender (and thus closing down the mating channel). Our main interest is understanding to what extent network preferences are shaped by homophily. Specifically, we plan to run estimations where the dependent variable will be an indicator for whether or not subjects consider a given profile as representing a potential network partner. The regressors will be differences between the subjects own characteristics and traits and those of the respective profile. Standard errors will be clustered at the level of the subject (participant).

Not available

randomization done in office by a computer, implemented in an online environment programmed by the researchers

randomization is done at the level of the individual profile (ficticious potential network partner)

No

We plan to invite 3577 newly enrolled undergraduate students and expect a participation rate of about 50 percent.

We plan to invite 3577 newly enrolled undergraduate students and expect a participation rate of about 50 percent. Each subject will rate 9 profiles. The number of observations will thus be 3577 x (partcipation rate) x 9.

Profiles randomly vary in all dimension. Thus, there are no 'treatment arms' as in a classical RCT.

We do not have any baseline data and therefore refrain from detailed power analyses. Given the expected sample size, we believe that we will be able to precisely estimate the treatment effects.