Measuring the Prevalence of Greenwashing: Experimental Evidence

Last registered on September 08, 2025
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Measuring the Prevalence of Greenwashing: Experimental Evidence
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0016675
Initial registration date
September 04, 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
September 08, 2025, 9:19 AM EDT

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

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Primary Investigator

Name
Yuhan Liu
Affiliation
University of Mannheim
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2025-09-08
End date
2026-02-15
Keywords
Behavior, Environment & Energy, Firms & Productivity
Additional Keywords
Greenwashing, Corporate sustainability, list experiment, corporate reporting
JEL code(s)
G34, M14, Q56
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
This study investigates the prevalence of corporate greenwashing, defined as firms' symbolic communication of their environmental engagement without corresponding substantive action. While prior archival studies has proxied greenwashing by comparing ESG disclosures with performance metrics, such approaches struggle to distinguish intentional misrepresentation from measurement error. To address this limitation, I employ a survey-based design and employ a double list experiment, which encourages honest responses to sensitive questions. By directly eliciting firm managers’ experiences with greenwashing, the study provides novel evidence on its prevalence across industries and firm sizes, and identifies potential drivers. The findings contribute to debates on corporate accountability, inform regulatory enforcement under emerging sustainability reporting standards, and enhance stakeholder understanding of the risks associated with ESG disclosures.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Liu, Yuhan. 2025. "Measuring the Prevalence of Greenwashing: Experimental Evidence." AEA RCT Registry. September 08. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.16675-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Our experiment consists of a double list experiment that consists of two baseline lists (with/without sensitive item included) and a direct question about greenwashing. In the list experiment, the respondent is asked only to provide a total number of the items they have done, not which ones. We also ask about the motivations for publicly communicating environmental protection activities and the obstacles during the implementation.
Intervention Start Date
2025-09-08
Intervention End Date
2026-02-15

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
1. The total number of items respondents provided from the list experiment and answers from the direct question
2. Motivations for publicly communicating environmental protection activities and the obstacles during the implementation
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Survey participants are randomly assigned to either a double list experiment or a direct question about greenwashing activities. In the double list experiment, the respondent is only asked to provide the total number of the listed items they have done, not which ones. The mean-difference estimator between the treatment and the control group from the list experiment is an estimation for the proportion of firms who engage in greenwashing. This estimator is compared with that derived from the direct question. Social desirability bias exists if the estimator from the list experiment is significantly higher.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization done by the survey platform Qualtrics
Randomization Unit
Firm
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
No clusters
Sample size: planned number of observations
Approx. 1000 questionnaires with valid responses by firms are returned.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
Each treatment arm has about 333 observations of firm participants.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
IRB Approval Date
IRB Approval Number
Analysis Plan