|
Field
Abstract
|
Before
Safety in public spaces is a global concern that can negatively affect subjective well-being, lead individuals to forgo valuable activities, and compel them to incur additional costs to feel secure. Descriptively, we document the incidence of the problem—highlighting the prevalence of harassment and safety concerns among our study population. This study evaluates an innovative technology designed to enhance public safety—particularly with respect to harassment. Using a randomized controlled trial, we assign university students in the UK to different features of a novel mobile safety app. This experimental design, combined with rich administrative and survey data, allows us to estimate the causal effects of the intervention on key outcomes, including perception of safety, anxiety, academic performance, commuting behavior, and time use. We also examine the extent to which the gender gap in safety perceptions contributes to gender disparities in these outcomes, as well as the determinants of app take-up. Finally, we estimate the gender gap in willingness to pay for safety.
|
After
We conduct a multi-stage randomized experiment among university students in the UK that combines (i) randomized information about harassment prevalence drawn from prior survey evidence, (ii) randomized monetary incentives for adopting a mobile safety app, and (iii) randomized access to a real-time video-call protection feature among adopters. We study effects on crime experiences, perceived safety, beliefs about crime risk, anxiety, and mobility. We characterize selection into adoption, and study how effects vary across individuals. We additionally estimate willingness to pay for safety and develop a structural model of nighttime travel choices. The update reflects: (i) design changes in Round 2 (expanded sample, 13 universities) and (ii) an updated supplementary Prolific study with WTP elicitation, (iii) midline additions, and (iv) endline additions. This registration updates the original registration and is written before any midline and endline collection of Round 2 has been performed.
|