The impact of information on US aid cuts on attitudes to aid in Australia

Last registered on July 17, 2025
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
The impact of information on US aid cuts on attitudes to aid in Australia
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0016399
Initial registration date
July 15, 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 17, 2025, 8:07 AM EDT

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

Locations

Country
Australia
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Terence Wood
Affiliation
The Australian National University
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2025-07-25
End date
2025-11-28
Keywords
Other
Additional Keywords
Public opinion, Foreign aid
JEL code(s)
C93, F35
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
This survey experiment will study the impact on Australian public opinion of providing information on US aid cuts.

Information on the US cuts will be presented to survey participants in the form of an information intervention: a vignette that resembles a short newspaper article, and which reports on the findings of recently released academic studies of, and newspaper reporting on, US aid cuts.

In the analysis we will examine whether the information intervention changes people’s attitudes to aid and other aid-related aspects of international relations.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Wood, Terence. 2025. "The impact of information on US aid cuts on attitudes to aid in Australia." AEA RCT Registry. July 17. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.16399-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
There will be two groups in our experiment:
1. The control group, which will receive no vignette.
2. The treatment group, which will receive a vignette detailing impacts of US aid cuts.

Allocation to the treatment and control groups will be randomised. Both groups will receive the same questions on aid and international affairs. Participants in the treatment group will also receive one additional question that will test whether they have read the vignette.
Intervention (Hidden)
There will be two groups in our experiment:
1. The control group, which will receive no vignette.
2. The treatment group, which will receive a vignette detailing impacts of US aid cuts.

Allocation to the treatment and control groups will be randomised. Both groups will receive the same questions on aid and international affairs. Participants in the treatment group will also receive one additional question that will test whether they have read the vignette.
Intervention Start Date
2025-07-28
Intervention End Date
2025-08-22

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
The main outcomes of interest are:
1) Whether the vignette changes people’s attitude to the volume of aid Australia gives.
2) Whether the vignette changes people’s attitudes to Australian aid giving such as why Australia gives aid and what it should focus its aid on.

Responses to central question about aid will be measured on a 6-point scale. Responses to the other outcomes of interest are measured on 5-8 point scales depending on the question.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
The effects of these treatments will be evaluated via an online survey of a nationally representative (on sociodemographic traits) sample of the Australian population.
Experimental Design Details
The effects of these treatments will be evaluated via an online survey of a nationally representative (on sociodemographic traits) sample of the Australian population.
Randomization Method
Randomisation will be conducted using the survey firm’s software. Randomisation will take place within 18 strata based on gender, age, and political orientation.
Randomization Unit
Individual
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
n/a
Sample size: planned number of observations
1400
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
700
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
The minimum detectable effect size on the primary question of interest (desire for level of aid spending to be changed) is around 7.5 percentage points (with power 0.8 and alpha 0.05) with a sample size of 700 individuals per group.
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
ANU Human Ethics
IRB Approval Date
2025-07-10
IRB Approval Number
H/2025/0430
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