Testing framing approaches for delivery of information about the impact of wood burning on air quality in Sandwell, UK

Last registered on March 15, 2024
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Testing framing approaches for delivery of information about the impact of wood burning on air quality in Sandwell, UK
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0013153
Initial registration date
March 07, 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, 4:17 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
2024-03-15
End date
2024-04-30
Keywords
Behavior, Environment & Energy, Health
Additional Keywords
air quality, smoke control area, 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 framing information about the impact of indoor wood burning on air quality as well as information about the Smoke Control Area in Sandwell. As of 2024, the borough of Sandwell is now designated as a Smoke Control Area, which imposes restrictions on the type of fuels that can be burned and on types of domestic combustion appliances. The aims of this trial are to: 1) evaluate individuals' baseline knowledge of air quality, the impact of log burning on air quality, and the Smoke Control Area, and 2) assess the impact of delivering information on these topics through health-focused framing and compliance-focused framing.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Akesson, Jesper and Hannah Chappell. 2024. "Testing framing approaches for delivery of information about the impact of wood burning on air quality in Sandwell, UK." AEA RCT Registry. March 15. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.13153-1.0
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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 log burning and its impact on air quality through the context of health impacts. Intervention 2 consist of presenting information about log burning and its impact on air quality through the context of compliance with the Sandwell Smoke Control Area.
Intervention Start Date
2024-03-15
Intervention End Date
2024-04-30

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
1. Knowledge/awareness of the negative impacts of log burning
2. Knowledge/awareness of the Smoke Control Area regulations
3. Behavioural intentions regarding log burning and indoor combustion device purchasing
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: after seeing the survey introduction and consenting to the survey, participants will be asked a series of questions about their housing situation (e.g., do they live in a canal boat or in a house/flat), whether or not they are currently in possession of a log burner or open fireplace, and, if so, why they use this combustion device (e.g., as a primary or secondary heat source, for aesthetic reasons).

After completing the background questions, 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 (health-framing) or Intervention 2 (Compliance framing). Participants in the treatment conditions are then presented with the intervention, which consists of information about log burning and its impact on air quality, recommendations for alternative fuel sources, and either a) information about the negative health consequences of wood burning on health or b) information about the legal repercussions for failing to comply with the Smoke Control Area.

All participants then are asked to complete a series of knowledge questions about log burning, air quality, and the Smoke Control Area (individuals allocated to the Control Condition proceed directly from the Background questions to this survey block).

Participants are then asked whether they would be willing to make a pledge to comply to the Smoke Control Area. 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 and wood burning.
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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