Citizens’ Support for Taxation and Preferences for Redistribution in Colombia

Last registered on March 15, 2024
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Citizens’ Support for Taxation and Preferences for Redistribution in Colombia
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0013139
Initial registration date
March 06, 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, 3:58 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
Ángela Fonseca-Galvis
Affiliation
Pontificia Universidad Javeriana
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2024-02-17
End date
2024-09-30
Keywords
Behavior, Electoral, Governance
Additional Keywords
Preferences for redistribution, inequality
JEL code(s)
H31, D31, D63
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
How does a person's perception of their own place in the income distribution influence their support for redistribution? How does a person's perception of the level of inequality in society, in a highly unequal society, influence their support for redistribution? In this project we will test two interventions within a survey to study the questions presented above, in the context of Colombia's five biggest cities. We will also study how citizens' general trust as well as trust in government institutions influence their support for redistribution. We will further analyze citizens support for raising different taxes, their perception of the Colombian tax system, and tax evasion. We will test the hypothesis that individuals higher in the income distribution than they expected will be less supportive of redistribution. We will also test the hypothesis that individuals made aware of the level of income inequality in their society will be more supportive of redistribution and more polarized.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Fonseca-Galvis, Ángela. 2024. "Citizens’ Support for Taxation and Preferences for Redistribution in Colombia ." AEA RCT Registry. March 15. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.13139-1.0
Sponsors & Partners

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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2024-02-17
Intervention End Date
2024-03-06

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
- Support for income redistribution
- Support for higher taxes
- Opinion about income inequality
- Affective polarization
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
Support for income distribution: will be constructed from the questions that ask whether respondents support the idea that governments should intervene to provide money, jobs and aid to poor people. Additionally, preferences for redistribution will be obtained from two redistribution games.
Support for higher taxes: we will ask about support for increasing each of the main taxes levied in Colombia (and also whether deductions should be eliminated)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
- Opinion about tax evasion
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
An in-person survey will be implemented in Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, Barranquilla and Bucaramanga with 2,200 subjects. Participants will first be asked socio-demographic questions as well as questions about their trust in institutions and their beliefs about the level of inequality that is appropriate and the role of the state in implementing policies to change this. They are also asked whether they believe the Colombian state has the capacity to implement effective policies to reduce inequality and poverty. Participants will be asked to give their income and say what they think is their position within the income distribution in the country. Then, 50% of participants will be given the correct information about their position within the income distribution.
Respondents will be asked about salary differences in Colombia. 50% of respondents will be given information about actual salary differences in 2023. Based on this, 25% of respondents will be part of the control group, 25% will receive the income distribution treatment, 25% the wage inequality treatment and the remaining 25% both treatments.
After the treatments respondents will be asked questions about their support for redistribution, their opinion about income inequality, their support for higher taxes, their opinions about tax evasion, affective polarization, and two games to measure preferences for redistribution.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization done by survey company
Randomization Unit
Individual
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
2,200 individuals
Sample size: planned number of observations
2,200 individuals
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
550 controls, 550 income distribution, 550 inequality, 550 both treatments
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Comité de Investigación y Ética, Facultad de Ciencias Económicas, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Colombia
IRB Approval Date
2024-01-24
IRB Approval Number
N/A
Analysis Plan