An Experimental Study on the Relationship between Job Search and Information Disclosure

Last registered on October 31, 2025

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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title

An Experimental Study on the Relationship between Job Search and Information Disclosure

RCT ID

AEARCTR-0017109

Initial registration date

October 30, 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

October 31, 2025, 9:15 AM EDT

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

Locations

Country

Japan

Region

Primary Investigator

Name

Hiromi Hara

Affiliation

Meiji University

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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name

Taiyo Fukai

PI Affiliation

Gakushuin University

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PI Name

Hiroko Okudaira

PI Affiliation

Doshisha University

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Additional Trial Information

Status

In development

Start date

2025-11-05

End date

2025-11-30

Keywords

Education, Gender, Labor

Additional Keywords

JEL code(s)

J24, J31, J38, J78

Secondary IDs

Prior work

This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.

Abstract

How do people respond to corporate disclosure of human capital information? This study will use a survey experiment to explore how college students respond to different types of information items. Specifically, it will examine gender differences in these responses.

External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation

Fukai, Taiyo, Hiromi Hara and Hiroko Okudaira. 2025. "An Experimental Study on the Relationship between Job Search and Information Disclosure." AEA RCT Registry. October 31. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.17109-1.0

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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)

Participants will be shown a hypothetical job posting.

Intervention (Hidden)

Intervention Start Date

2025-11-05

Intervention End Date

2025-11-30

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)

The likelihood of selecting a job posting as a function of the information attributes presented

Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)

Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

The study will be conducted through an online survey. Participants are third-year undergraduate students at a private university located in Tokyo. All third-year students are invited to participate in the survey, and only those who wish to do so take part in the online survey. First, participants will provide information on their personal attributes and student life, including their majors, part-time job experience, and participation in job-hunting activities or internships. Second, participants will answer questions about their attitudes toward gender issues and their preferences regarding risk-taking and time-discounting. Finally, participants will be presented with two hypothetical job postings and asked to indicate which one they prefer.

Experimental Design Details

All participants will complete two parts of the survey experiment.

In Part 1, each participant will be shown five pairs of hypothetical job postings and asked to choose one from each pair. Each job posting includes a set of attributes concerning pay levels, career development, working conditions, and gender equality within the organization.

In Part 2, participants will again be shown five new pairs of job postings and asked to make selections in the same way. Each job posting in Part 2 presents several attributes related to compensation, work arrangements, and organizational characteristics, including indicators of work–life balance and gender equality.

Thus, each participant makes a total of 10 choices (5 in Part 1 and 5 in Part 2).

Randomization Method

Randomization will be carried out by the survey software Qualtrics.

Randomization Unit

Individual.

Was the treatment clustered?

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters

N/A

Sample size: planned number of observations

Number of students invited to participate in the survey: 1,170. In total, we aim to collect 11,700 individual-job pair level observations (= 1,170 × 5 × 2) across randomized sets of job attributes.

Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms

Each participant completes two parts of the survey experiment.
In Part 1, all participants are shown five pairs of hypothetical job postings and asked to choose one from each pair.
In Part 2, they are again shown five new pairs of job postings and asked to make selections in the same way.
Thus, each participant makes 10 choices in total (5 in Part 1 and 5 in Part 2).
The planned total number of participants is 1,170 (individual-level randomization).

Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)

Supporting Documents and Materials

IRB