Perspective-Taking and Attitudes Towards Refugees: Evidence from a Role-Playing Intervention with High School Students

Last registered on March 19, 2024
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Perspective-Taking and Attitudes Towards Refugees: Evidence from a Role-Playing Intervention with High School Students
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0013178
Initial registration date
March 12, 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 19, 2024, 4:55 PM EDT

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

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Primary Investigator

Name
Mounir Karadja
Affiliation
Uppsala University
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Aliki Bizas
PI Affiliation
Uppsala University
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Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2024-03-07
End date
2024-05-31
Keywords
Behavior, Electoral
Additional Keywords
Migration
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
How can intergroup understanding be increased? We study this question in the context of refugee migration to developed countries, focusing on the attitudes of high school aged students in Sweden. We study a role-playing intervention which simulates a typical refugee experience, including initial flight, as well as navigating bureaucracy and attempting to find asylum in another country. The intervention takes approximately 1-2 hours, takes place during school hours, and is hypothesized to induce native students to take the perspective of refugees, thereby yielding more positive beliefs about refugees. The intervention is provided to all students, but a random subset is surveyed just prior to the intervention, while the treatment group is surveyed afterwards.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Bizas, Aliki and Mounir Karadja. 2024. "Perspective-Taking and Attitudes Towards Refugees: Evidence from a Role-Playing Intervention with High School Students." AEA RCT Registry. March 19. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.13178-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
The intervention is conducted by the Swedish Red Cross Youth and is called På Flykt (“On the Run”). It is based on testimonies from families who have been forced to flee and has been designed to turn numbers and information into an exercise in perspective taking to increase understanding of life as a refugee.
Intervention Start Date
2024-03-07
Intervention End Date
2024-05-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
• What level of empathy do you feel towards refugees?
• Do you believe that refugees who come to Sweden mainly hinder or contribute to the progress of society?
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
• Refugees who seek asylum in Sweden may pose a threat to Swedish values. (Agree-Disagree)
• Refugees who seek asylum in Sweden may improve Swedish values. (Agree-Disagree)
• Refugees who seek asylum in Sweden may worsen the Swedish economy. (Agree-Disagree)
• Refugees who seek asylum in Sweden may strengthen the Swedish economy. (Agree-Disagree)
• Refugees who seek asylum in Sweden take advantage of Sweden’s resources. (Agree-Disagree)
• Refugees who seek asylum in Sweden contribute to Swedish culture. (Agree-Disagree)
• Refugees who seek asylum in Sweden may increase competition for jobs for me after I graduate. (Agree-Disagree)
• Would you consider being friends with a refugee?
• Would you consider working with or socializing with a refugee?
• Do you think Sweden accepts too few refugees, just enough refugees, or too many refugees?
• In general, do you believe that people can be trusted?
• Do you believe that a refugee who gets a residence permit should have a right to family reunification?
• You can become a member of the Red Cross Youth. Would you like to become a member?
• You can become a volunteer in the Red Cross Youth. Would you like to join as a volunteer?
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
The intervention will be given to all students in a class. In order to create a counterfactual, a random subset of the class will answer the survey prior to the start of the intervention. The treatment group answers the survey after the intervention. This assumes that, in the absence of the intervention, attitudes towards refugees would have remained stable for the approximately 2 hours that the intervention takes to complete. We will use various methods to test this assumption, using variation in time of day and measures of engagement with the survey in order to verify whether answers prior to the intervention are a valid counterfactual.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization by computer.
Randomization Unit
Individual pupil within a class.
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
30 classes. This number is uncertain, it may be lower or higher in practice depending on school uptake.
Sample size: planned number of observations
600 pupils.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
400 pupils treated, 400 pupils control.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
IRB Approval Date
IRB Approval Number
Analysis Plan