Using goal setting and commitment to promote water conservation: Evidence from a field experiment

Last registered on October 07, 2024

View Trial History

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title

Using goal setting and commitment to promote water conservation: Evidence from a field experiment

RCT ID

AEARCTR-0013099

Initial registration date

September 25, 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

October 07, 2024, 7:01 PM EDT

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

Locations

Country

Qatar

Region

Primary Investigator

Name

Jesper Akesson

Affiliation

The Behaviouralist

Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

Additional Trial Information

Status

Completed

Start date

2021-11-01

End date

2022-03-31

Keywords

Behavior, Environment & Energy, Welfare

Additional Keywords

JEL code(s)

Secondary IDs

Prior work

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

Abstract

Governments and utilities are searching for innovative ways of promoting water conservation. In this paper, we present the results from a natural field experiment (n = 17,498) that tests whether encouraging consumers to commit to conservation goals reduces their water consumption. Some consumers were asked to set their own goals, while others were either asked to commit to a reduction of 5%, 10%, 15%, or 20%. Further, some consumers were told that their commitment, and their performance, would be made public to other participants.

External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation

Akesson, Jesper. 2024. "Using goal setting and commitment to promote water conservation: Evidence from a field experiment ." AEA RCT Registry. October 07. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.13099-1.0

Sponsors & Partners

Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)

Those who take the survey are assigned a conservation goal and are randomized into eleven possible experimental cells. The non-commitment group is not asked to make a commitment to water conservation and serves as the control group in our main specifications. The remainder are asked to commit to conserving 5%, 10%, 15%, 20\%, or a user-selected percentage of their water usage. Those who reach this stage are further randomized into whether this commitment is private or public. Those who choose to make public commitments have their names and commitment levels displayed, alongside an indication of whether they have met their conservation goal. Finally, all participants, including those in the control condition, are provided with water-saving tips at the end of the survey.

Intervention (Hidden)

Intervention Start Date

2021-11-01

Intervention End Date

2022-03-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)

Monthly household water consumption

Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)

Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

We randomly assigned eligible households within an online survey experiment to a control group or one of eleven treatment groups. Treatment participants were asked to make either a private or a public commitment to reduce their water consumption, with varying goal levels (i.e. a reduction of 5%, 10%, 15%, 20% or by an amount of their choice). All participants (including those in the control condition) were subsequently provided with water-saving tips.

Experimental Design Details

Randomization Method

Randomization done through the survey platform Qualtrics

Randomization Unit

Household

Was the treatment clustered?

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters

6210

Sample size: planned number of observations

6210 households

Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms

The non-commitment group (851) is not asked to make a commitment to water conservation and serves as the control group in our main specifications. The remainder (8,505) are asked to commit to conserving 5% (1,697), 10% (1,703), 15% (1,702), 20% (1,702), or a user-selected percentage (1,701) of their water usage.

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

Supporting Documents and Materials

IRB