Paying Not to Know: Examining Sources and Consequences of News Avoidance, Additional Experiment

Last registered on April 04, 2025
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Paying Not to Know: Examining Sources and Consequences of News Avoidance, Additional Experiment
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0015576
Initial registration date
April 03, 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
April 04, 2025, 1:26 PM EDT

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

Locations

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Primary Investigator

Name
Roee Levy
Affiliation
Yale University
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Moses Shayo
PI Affiliation
King's College London
PI Name
Guy Yanay
PI Affiliation
Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2025-03-19
End date
2026-12-31
Keywords
Behavior, Crime, Violence, & Conflict, Post-conflict
Additional Keywords
media, identity, political economy, news
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
In a previous survey we studies how much individuals are willing to pay for different news articles depending on group identities (https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.13097-1.1). We also examined the implications of news avoidance and news exposure on attitudes and beliefs.

In this survey experiment, we focus on beliefs regarding the conflict and mechanisms found in the first experiment
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Levy, Roee, Moses Shayo and Guy Yanay. 2025. "Paying Not to Know: Examining Sources and Consequences of News Avoidance, Additional Experiment." AEA RCT Registry. April 04. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.15576-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2025-03-19
Intervention End Date
2025-12-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
We will study the effects of the treatments on beliefs regarding two facts that concern outgroup victims.
The key outcome focuses on these facts because we expect that almost all participants will be aware of the facts concerning ingroup victims.

This survey also collects data on the expected emotional and other effects of various news articles, along with the reasons why it is important to read some but not other news, and the reliability of various organizations.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
We will also analyze the beliefs regarding two facts that concern outgroup victims
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We wiill randomize the elicitation method used to determine people's agreement with facts portraying their ingroup negatively.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization done in Qualtrics
Randomization Unit
Individual
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
We aim for 600-1000 respondents in Israel and a similar number in Jordan (if we are able to conduct the survey in Jordan).
Sample size: planned number of observations
Same as number of clusters
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
Randomization on beliefs elicitation method
* 50% self-reported beliefs + indirect beliefs ( as measured through trust in previous respondents)
* 25% incentivized beliefs based on UN
* 25% incentivized beliefs based on ingroup organization

Randomization on prompts
* One-third will receive the anonymity prompt
* One-third will receive the public prompt
* One-third will receive no prompt
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Tel Aviv University
IRB Approval Date
2025-03-18
IRB Approval Number
0007258-5
Analysis Plan