Trust in institutions: an experimental study

Last registered on February 24, 2025
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Trust in institutions: an experimental study
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0014160
Initial registration date
August 10, 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 14, 2024, 2:41 PM EDT

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

Last updated
February 24, 2025, 11:50 AM EST

Last updated is the most recent time when changes to the trial's registration were published.

Locations

Country
United States of America
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
GUGLIELMO BRISCESE
Affiliation
The University of Chicago
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Maddalena Grignani
PI Affiliation
Pompeu Fabra University
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
Completed
Start date
2024-08-12
End date
2024-09-18
Keywords
Behavior, Governance
Additional Keywords
Trust in institutions
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
Trust in public institutions is crucial for compliance with recommended behaviors that minimize negative externalities and improve societal welfare. Previous studies have shown how exposure to polarizing media content and living through a crisis can rapidly erode citizens’ trust in public institutions. This study aims to provide novel experimental evidence on the efficacy of light-touch scalable interventions that can rebuild trust in public institutions.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
BRISCESE, GUGLIELMO and Maddalena Grignani. 2025. "Trust in institutions: an experimental study." AEA RCT Registry. February 24. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.14160-2.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
This study consists in a survey experiment where we will vary exposure to information about an institution.
Intervention (Hidden)
Intervention Start Date
2024-08-13
Intervention End Date
2024-09-17

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Trust beliefs
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
Likert scale and 0-100 probability scale outcomes.

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
A representative sample of Americans who are part of the GSS AmeriSpeak panel will complete a survey eliciting their trust in public institutions. Respondents are randomly exposed to sources of information about such institutions.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Individual-level randomization automatically done by survey software.
Randomization Unit
Individual respondent.
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
0
Sample size: planned number of observations
Approximately 1600
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
Approximately 500 respondents per randomized group.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
See attached pre-analysis plan.
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
University of Chicago Ethics Committee
IRB Approval Date
2024-03-21
IRB Approval Number
IRB24-0471
Analysis Plan

Analysis Plan Documents

Briscese_Grignani_Trust_PAP.pdf

MD5: 9085ceb5c2483366a23e00f7213aefd2

SHA1: cbfb3f8192b77a5a76ef47108428d3657d36f2bb

Uploaded At: August 10, 2024

Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
Yes
Intervention Completion Date
September 17, 2024, 12:00 +00:00
Data Collection Complete
Yes
Data Collection Completion Date
September 16, 2024, 12:00 +00:00
Final Sample Size: Number of Clusters (Unit of Randomization)
Was attrition correlated with treatment status?
No
Final Sample Size: Total Number of Observations
Final Sample Size (or Number of Clusters) by Treatment Arms
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
No
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials