Measuring labor force participation

Last registered on August 28, 2024

View Trial History

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title

Measuring labor force participation

RCT ID

AEARCTR-0013645

Initial registration date

August 18, 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

August 28, 2024, 2:31 PM EDT

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

Locations

Country

Saudi Arabia

Region

Primary Investigator

Name

Andrew Simon

Affiliation

University of Virginia

Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name

Justin Holz

PI Affiliation

University of Michigan

Contact Investigator

PI Name

Faisal Kattan

PI Affiliation

University of Chicago

Contact Investigator

PI Name

John List

PI Affiliation

University of Chicago

Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status

In development

Start date

2024-08-19

End date

2025-09-01

Keywords

Labor

Additional Keywords

JEL code(s)

Secondary IDs

Prior work

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

Abstract

We consider different ways of measuring labor force participation.

External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation

Holz, Justin et al. 2024. "Measuring labor force participation." AEA RCT Registry. August 28. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.13645-1.0

Sponsors & Partners

Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)

We will measure labor force participation in several ways.

Intervention (Hidden)

We will randomize individuals into three groups that affects the way we collect information about their labor force participation. The instructions below are for a coin flip, but individuals will have multiple ways to conduct the randomization themselves based on what they have available (e.g. if cannot flip a coin, but can draw from a deck of cards).

Direct response (control): We will ask unemployed individuals (recently stated on government survey that they do not have a job and are actively looking for work) if they are actively looking for work.

Randomized response perfect privacy (T1): Indivduals will be asked to filp a coin. If the coin is heads, they will be asked to report their true labor force participation. If the coin is tails, they will be asked to report that they are not actively looking for work. If individuals do not have a coin available, we will ask them to randomize in another way (draw from a deck of cards or use google to flip a coin).

Randomized response, imperfect privacy (T2): Individuals will be sent a link that conducts the randomization for them. After seeing whether the coin is heads or tails, it will proceed as in T1.

Intervention Start Date

2024-08-19

Intervention End Date

2025-09-01

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)

Whether the individual reports that they are actively looking for work (indicator).

Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)

Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

We will randomize how we ask about labor force participation.

Experimental Design Details

The population of interest is all individuals who participated in the recent Labor Force Survey (LFS) AND who self-reported that they are unemployed (currently without job and actively looking for work) AND who are not identified between the timing of the LFS and the start of the experiment as starting a new job.

From this population, we will select 5558 individuals for the experiment. We will select a stratified random sample where the strata are defined by interactions of: above median age (within the sample); gender; above median education; head of household status. No more than 1 individual in a household will be included in the sample.

We will randomize individuals in the sample into three groups as described above: (1) Direct response; (2) Randomized response, perfect privacy; (3) Randomized response, imperfect privacy. Enumerators call participants and administer the treatment over the phone. Following the LFS, the head of household will answer the question.

Our main results will compare Direct Response (1) to any Randomized Response (2 or 3). We will additionally test for differences between all 3 treatments. We will test for heterogeneity in the treatment effect by 6 variables: the 4 variables used for stratification, above/below median previous duration unemployed, and local labor market conditions.

Randomization Method

Randomization into treatment is done in office by computer.

Randomization Unit

Individual

Was the treatment clustered?

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters

5558 individuals

Sample size: planned number of observations

5558 individuals

Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms

Individuals will be randomized so that 1/3 are in each treatment

Based on similar recent surveys, we expect a 45% reponse rate. We will reweight the sample to correct for attrition.

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

Supporting Documents and Materials

IRB