To ask or to observe: the impact of baseline measurement on future sanitation behavior

Last registered on May 30, 2024
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
To ask or to observe: the impact of baseline measurement on future sanitation behavior
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0013686
Initial registration date
May 24, 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
May 30, 2024, 3:40 AM EDT

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

Locations

Country
Bangladesh
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Mark Treurniet
Affiliation
University of Groningen
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Madeline Langley
PI Affiliation
University of Groningen
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Kritika Saxena
PI Affiliation
University of Groningen
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2024-05-25
End date
2027-12-31
Keywords
Behavior, Health
Additional Keywords
baseline surveys, self-report, observation, misreporting, panel conditioning
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
Baseline data collection is a common practice among empirical researchers. While asking questions is often cheaper, observational data is typically trusted more. In this study we develop an experiment in Bangladesh where we randomly assign respondents to (i) only self-reported questions on sanitation behavior, (ii) a combination of observation and self-reported questions on sanitation behavior, or (iii) no questions on sanitation behavior. Our first objective is to determine if observational data influences self-reported responses at baseline. Subsequently, we will examine whether self-reported questions and observational data impact both self-reported and observed sanitation measures at the endline. Additionally, we will investigate whether self-reported questions and observation affect the impact of a separate sanitation intervention.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Langley, Madeline, Kritika Saxena and Mark Treurniet. 2024. "To ask or to observe: the impact of baseline measurement on future sanitation behavior." AEA RCT Registry. May 30. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.13686-1.0
Sponsors & Partners

Sponsors

Partner

Name
James P. Grant School of Public Health, BRAC University
Type
URL
https://www.bracu.ac.bd/academics/institutes-and-schools/jpgsph
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
In the self-report arm, we will ask sanitation questions related to waste disposal (from latrine, diapers and garbage) and handwashing. In the observation arm, before we ask the same sanitation questions, we will first ask whether we can observe, respectively, the respondents’ waste disposal facilities and handwash area.
Intervention Start Date
2024-05-25
Intervention End Date
2024-07-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Waste disposal observation, Waste disposal self-report, Handwashing facility observation, Handwashing facility self-report and Handwashing behavior self-report
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
See pre-analysis plan

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Comfort
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)
See pre-analyis plan

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We have 3 baseline survey arms:
● Group 1: [R] only reported questions
● Group 2: [R+O] both reported and observation questions
● Group 3: [C] Pure control group that gets not questions on sanitation and health in the baseline
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization done in office by a computer
Randomization Unit
Individual randomization, stratified by the group-level treatment assignment of the larger RCT within which this survey experiment takes place
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
1034 individuals
Sample size: planned number of observations
1034 individuals
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
343 individuals in group 1, 344 in group 2, 347 in group 3
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
We will test our hypothesis at the 5% significance level. Assuming a sample size of 1034 individuals at baseline, an equal split over our three survey arms and no attrition, we have 80% power to detect an effect of 0.214 standard deviations across two survey arms. With 20% attrition, the minimum detectable effect increases to 0.239 standard deviations.
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Institutional Review Board, BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health, BRAC University
IRB Approval Date
2023-08-21
IRB Approval Number
IRB-11June'23-021
Analysis Plan

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