Crisis, institutional response, and social and institutional trust

Last registered on May 21, 2025
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Crisis, institutional response, and social and institutional trust
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0014910
Initial registration date
May 13, 2025

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 21, 2025, 2:14 PM EDT

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

Locations

Country
Italy
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Andrea Martinangeli
Affiliation
Burgundy School of Business
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Pierluigi Conzo
PI Affiliation
Università di Torino
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PI Name
Willem Sas
PI Affiliation
Hasselt University
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PI Name
Gianmarco Daniele
PI Affiliation
Università Milano Statale
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Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2025-04-21
End date
2025-06-30
Keywords
Behavior, Governance
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
Many studies have found a tentatively positive relationship between institutional trust and social trust (Herreros, 2023). Others indicate that political and social trust can diverge following an external shock (Aassve et al., 2024, Daniele et al., 2023). To unlock this puzzle, this project will investigate the causality between perceived institutional quality and social trust in times of crisis. We conduct an online survey experiment where respondents are primed with a crisis scenario based on a recent extreme natural event. The latter serves as a real-world stimulus to
induce feelings of threat from an unexpected shock. Subsequently, we will provide information treatments to activate a mental frame of either effective or ineffective institutions. This approach will enable us to test whether external shocks can indeed drive a wedge between social and institutional trust.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Conzo, Pierluigi et al. 2025. "Crisis, institutional response, and social and institutional trust." AEA RCT Registry. May 21. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.14910-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention (Hidden)
Intervention Start Date
2025-04-21
Intervention End Date
2025-06-30

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Social trust, measured via stated questions.
Cooperation measured via donation to charity.
Institutional trust, measured via an incentivised donation and stated questions.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We randomise information about institutional disaster response preparedness. Details in the attached document.

Experimental conditions:
No Disaster + No institutions: irrelevant text
Disaster + No institutions: need for public investment in land requalificaiton (official studies)
Disaster+Prepared institutions: need for public investment in land requalificaiton (official studies) + increase in public expenditure for land requalification (official sources)
Disaster+Unprepared institutions: need for public investment in land requalificaiton (official studies) + decrease in public expenditure for land requalification (official sources)
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Computerised non-clustered, at individual level
Randomization Unit
individual
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
4000
Sample size: planned number of observations
4000
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
1000
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
We detect a minimal effect size MDE=0.125 in pairwise comparisons of standardised variables, at power p=0.8 and alpha=0.05
Supporting Documents and Materials

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IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Comité Ethique de la Recherche
IRB Approval Date
2024-08-19
IRB Approval Number
CERBSB2024-76
Analysis Plan

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Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
No
Data Collection Complete
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials