The Influence of Public Service Advertisements on Personal Carbon Account Support

Last registered on November 01, 2023
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
The Influence of Public Service Advertisements on Personal Carbon Account Support
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0012362
Initial registration date
October 26, 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
November 01, 2023, 3:55 PM EDT

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

Locations

Country
China
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Yu Gao
Affiliation
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Qiaowei Shen
PI Affiliation

Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2023-07-12
End date
2023-11-30
Keywords
Behavior, Environment & Energy
Additional Keywords
Pro-Social Behavior, Environmental Communication, Sustainability, RCT
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
This research investigates the efficacy of public service advertisements in promoting personal carbon accounts, shaping public attitudes towards climate change, and enhancing pro-social behavior. As environmental degradation and climate change become increasingly pressing, it is essential to stimulate behavioral changes at individual and societal levels. Personal carbon accounts, offering individuals the means to track and manage their carbon emissions, represent a potential tool for promoting such sustainable behavior. However, their adoption hinges on public awareness and attitudes.

In this study, we execute a randomized controlled trial involving viewers of a large online TV platform. These participants are randomized into a control group and a treatment group, with the latter exposed to a series of public service advertisements promoting personal carbon accounts. Subsequently, we assess their attitudes and behaviors through a survey.

Our results offer significant implications for environmental policy, advertising strategies, and public education campaigns aimed at encouraging sustainable behavior and mitigating climate change.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Gao, Yu and Qiaowei Shen. 2023. "The Influence of Public Service Advertisements on Personal Carbon Account Support." AEA RCT Registry. November 01. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.12362-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
The intervention in this study involved the use of public service advertisements designed to promote personal carbon accounts and foster pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors. Participants in the treatment group were exposed to these advertisements while viewing content on a large online TV platform. These advertisements were strategically designed to provide information about the importance of personal carbon accounts in managing individual carbon emissions and to highlight the role of individual action in mitigating climate change. They were intended to provoke thought, stimulate discussion, and ultimately, encourage viewers to adopt personal carbon accounts and engage in more sustainable behaviors. The effectiveness of this intervention was then compared to the control group, who were exposed to other advertisements, to measure the impact on attitudes and behaviors towards personal carbon accounts and climate change.
Intervention Start Date
2023-07-12
Intervention End Date
2023-07-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Awareness and understanding of personal carbon accounts
Intention to adopt personal carbon accounts
Attitude towards climate change and pro-social behavior
Actual behavior change
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
Awareness and understanding of personal carbon accounts: We evaluated whether the public service advertisements effectively communicated the concept of personal carbon accounts and their role in managing individual carbon emissions.
Intention to adopt personal carbon accounts: We gauged whether the advertisements increased participants' intention to adopt personal carbon accounts in the future.
Attitude towards climate change: We also measured changes in participants' attitudes towards climate change and pro-social behavior, particularly whether they felt more motivated to take action against climate change after viewing the advertisements.
Actual behavior change: donations to pro-environmental organizations

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We employed a randomized controlled trial design for our study. Participants, who were viewers of a large online TV platform, were randomly assigned into one of two groups: a control group and a treatment group.

In the treatment group, participants were exposed to public service advertisements promoting personal carbon accounts during their viewing experience. These advertisements were designed to enhance understanding of personal carbon accounts and highlight the importance of individual action in mitigating climate change.
The control group, on the other hand, experienced the online TV platform as usual, without the introduction of the public service advertisements.
We then compared the attitudes and behaviors of the two groups. Participants' awareness, understanding, and attitude towards personal carbon accounts and climate change were evaluated through surveys.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
by computer
Randomization Unit
individual
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
2 million viewers per group. 3000 participants per group for the survey.
Sample size: planned number of observations
2 million viewers per group. 3000 participants per group for the survey.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
2 million viewers per group. 3000 participants per group for the survey.
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