Information Spillovers within Couples: Evidence from a Sequential Survey of Spouses

Last registered on July 14, 2025
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Information Spillovers within Couples: Evidence from a Sequential Survey of Spouses
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0016381
Initial registration date
July 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
July 14, 2025, 6:56 AM EDT

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

Locations

Country
United States of America
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Basit Zafar
Affiliation
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Gizem Kosar
PI Affiliation
Federal Reserve Bank of New York
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Adeline Delavande
PI Affiliation
ova School of Business and Economics and University of Technology Sydney
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
Completed
Start date
2022-01-19
End date
2022-07-15
Keywords
Behavior, Labor
Additional Keywords
information spillovers; spouses; communication; frictions
JEL code(s)
D83, H31, J26
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
To understand the extent and drivers of information flow within couples, we conduct an online survey of 2,200 middle-aged married couples in the US. Our focus is on expectations about Social Security benefits. We first investigate the correlation between partners’ beliefs about a given spouse’s Social Security benefits. We analyze whether the imperfect alignment is systematically associated with couple-specific characteristics. To establish causal evidence on information spillovers, we implement a randomized information experiment paired with a sequential survey design, where the index spouse receives targeted information, and the other is surveyed a few days later. Using detailed survey data on measures of communication frictions, cognitive barriers, and the value of information, we identify key drivers of information flow.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Delavande, Adeline, Gizem Kosar and Basit Zafar. 2025. "Information Spillovers within Couples: Evidence from a Sequential Survey of Spouses." AEA RCT Registry. July 14. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.16381-1.0
Sponsors & Partners

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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention (Hidden)
Intervention Start Date
2022-01-19
Intervention End Date
2022-07-15

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
i. Beliefs about own Social Security benefits at age 67
ii. Beliefs about spouse's Social Security benefits at age 67
iii. Beliefs about own Social Security benefits claiming age
iv. Beliefs about spouse's Social Security benefits claiming age

These are used to construct different variables of interest, such as perception gaps (explained below).
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
i. Perception gaps about own Social Security benefits at age 67 = Predicted benefits by the Social Security calculator - Beliefs about own Social Security benefits age age 67
ii. Perception gaps about spouse's Social Security benefits at age 67 = Predicted benefits by the Social Security calculator - Beliefs about spouse's Social Security benefits age age 67
iii. Distance between spouses’ reported expected claiming ages for the same spouse
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Our design is a randomized information intervention embedded within a survey. Eligibility to participate in the survey includes: index spouse being between 38 and 62 years old, being married, not retired, not receiving Social Security benefits, reporting that spouse is not receiving Social Security benefits, and willing to share their spouse’s email address. Index spouses who share an email address that is not different than their own for their spouses are not admitted to the survey. Secondary spouses receive the survey link after the index spouse finishes the survey.

The randomization is done at the couple level. Couples are divided into two groups:
i) Control (22% of the couples)
ii) Treatment (78% of the couples)

For secondary spouses, the treatment groups is divided into two groups:
a) Treatment 1 (39% of the secondary spouses)
b) Treatment 2 (39% of the secondary spouses)

T1 provides information about predicted SS benefits (based on the SS Quick Calculator) for own self and for one's spouse. This is done in stages for the index spouse, and done at the same time for the secondary spouse.
T2 is the same as T1, except that the secondary spouse is also given information about the reported beliefs of the index spouse about the age at which they expect to claim benefits.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Randomization is done randomly by the computer by the survey vendor, NielsenIQ.
Randomization Unit
Randomization is done at the couple level.
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
Not clustered
Sample size: planned number of observations
2219 couples
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
492 control couples
1727 treatment couples

For secondary spouses:
856 spouses for Treatment 1
871 spouses for Treatment 2
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
National Bureau of Economic Research
IRB Approval Date
2021-09-29
IRB Approval Number
21_227
Analysis Plan

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