Testing debunking approaches to target misconceptions about air quality in Birmingham, UK

Last registered on March 15, 2024
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Testing debunking approaches to target misconceptions about air quality in Birmingham, UK
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0013103
Initial registration date
March 08, 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
March 15, 2024, 5:44 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
Jesper Akesson
Affiliation
The Behaviouralist
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Hannah Chappell
PI Affiliation
The Behaviouralist
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Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2024-03-18
End date
2024-04-30
Keywords
Behavior, Environment & Energy, Health
Additional Keywords
air quality, debunking, behaviour change
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
This study focuses on testing approaches of debunking misconceptions about air quality among residents of Birmingham. Prior research conducted by Birmingham City Council suggests that many Birmingham residents hold false beliefs about air quality. The aims of this trial are to: 1) evaluate individuals' baseline knowledge of air quality and awareness of behaviors that can impact air quality and 2) assess the impact of debunking misconceptions about air quality using myth-first debunking and refutational text debunking techniques.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Akesson, Jesper and Hannah Chappell. 2024. "Testing debunking approaches to target misconceptions about air quality in Birmingham, UK." AEA RCT Registry. March 15. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.13103-1.0
Sponsors & Partners

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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
The interventions will be delivered in a survey experiment. Intervention 1 consists of presenting information about air quality and debunking misconceptions using myth-first debunking. Intervention 2 consist of presenting information about air quality and debunking misconceptions using refutational text-based debunking.
Intervention Start Date
2024-03-18
Intervention End Date
2024-04-30

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
1. Knowledge/awareness of air quality as a concept
2. Knowledge/awareness of impacts of air quality on health
3. Intentions regarding behaviors that impact air quality contribution and/or exposure
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
These outcomes will be assessed through a survey.

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
This trial relies on a survey experiment to evaluate the impact of the aforementioned interventions. The survey structure will be as follows:
Participants will be randomly allocated to the control condition (50%) to the treatment condition (50%). Those allocated to the treatment condition will then again be randomised to receive either Intervention 1 (myth-first debunking) or Intervention 2 (refutational text debunking).

Participants in the treatment conditions are then presented with the intervention, which consists of information about air quality, the impact of air quality on health, and behaviours to mitigate poor air quality contribution and/or exposure.

All participants (treatment and control) then are asked to complete a series of knowledge questions about air quality and questions that assess attitudes towards air quality and perceived importance of air quality.

Participants are then asked whether they would be willing to make a pledge to take action to improve air quality in Birmingham. Those who indicate that they are willing to make this commitment are provided with a commitment certificate.

Participants will be sent a follow up survey four weeks following the first survey. This second survey will repeat the knowledge questions asked in the first survey as well as questions that elicit self-report behaviours relating to air quality.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization will take place within the survey (coded in and disseminated via Qualtrics).
Randomization Unit
Randomization will take place at the individual level.
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
N/A
Sample size: planned number of observations
3,000
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
1,500 individuals control, 1,500 individuals treatment (750 individuals per intervention)
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Collapsing across the treatment groups, we would achieve over 90% statistical power for a minimum detectable effect size of 5 percentage points with an alpha of 0.05. When assessing the treatment groups separately, we would achieve 64% statistical power for a minimum detectable effect size of 5 percentage points (alpha = 0.05) and up to 99% power for a MDE of 10 percentage points.
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
IRB Approval Date
IRB Approval Number
Analysis Plan

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