Paying Not to Know: Examining Sources and Consequences of News Avoidance

Last registered on April 16, 2024

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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title

Paying Not to Know: Examining Sources and Consequences of News Avoidance

RCT ID

AEARCTR-0013097

Initial registration date

April 14, 2024

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 16, 2024, 3:27 PM EDT

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

Locations

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Primary Investigator

Name

Roee Levy

Affiliation

Yale University

Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name

Moses Shayo

PI Affiliation

King's College London

PI Name

Guy Yanay

PI Affiliation

Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Additional Trial Information

Status

In development

Start date

2024-04-15

End date

2025-12-31

Keywords

Behavior, Crime, Violence, & Conflict

Additional Keywords

media, identity, political economy, news

JEL code(s)

Secondary IDs

Prior work

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

Abstract

We study how much individuals are willing to pay for different news articles depending on group identities. We also examine the implications of news avoidance and news exposure on attitudes and beliefs.

External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation

Levy, Roee, Moses Shayo and Guy Yanay. 2024. "Paying Not to Know: Examining Sources and Consequences of News Avoidance." AEA RCT Registry. April 16. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.13097-1.0

Sponsors & Partners

Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)

Intervention Start Date

2024-04-15

Intervention End Date

2025-12-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)

We will measure two families of outcomes
1) WTP - this outcome is the amount individuals are willing to pay to read different articles
We will test how WTP varies based on whether the article describes the participants ingroup or outgroup negatively. If we recruit samples in two locations, we will be able to also control for article fixed effects.

2) The effect of reading articles. This analysis is based on random variation in the article participants receive. We will focus on the following primary outcomes: comprehension and recollection of the articles, knowledge about the war, empathy and policy preferences.

For more details on primary and secondary outcomes, see the pre-analysis plan

Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)

Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

For each participants we will randomize an article and a price for reading that article

Experimental Design Details

Not available

Randomization Method

Randomization done automatically by Qualtrics

Randomization Unit

Individual

Was the treatment clustered?

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters

Approximately 2500

Sample size: planned number of observations

- For the analysis of individual level outcomes our same size is approximately 2500 individuals: 2000 Israeli Jews and 500 Jordanians. In some specification will only compare specific treatments and our sample size will be smaller. - For the analysis of article level outcomes our sample size will be as large as 45,000 individuals*articles (depending on the specification) since each individual will be asked about 18 articles

Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms

~750 for the two group with zero price and an article on Israeli or Palestinian victims
~ 700 for the group with zero price and an article on other natural disaster
~ 250 for the two group with a maximum price and an article on Israeli or Palestinian victims

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

Supporting Documents and Materials

IRB