Skills, Beliefs, and Choice. Perceptions of Skill Premia and Study–Work Decisions

Last registered on February 10, 2026
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Skills, Beliefs, and Choice. Perceptions of Skill Premia and Study–Work Decisions
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0017785
Initial registration date
February 10, 2026

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
February 10, 2026, 6:52 AM EST

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

Locations

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Primary Investigator

Name
Franziska Valder
Affiliation
University of Copenhagen
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Jesper Eriksen
PI Affiliation
University of Copenhagen
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Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2026-02-09
End date
2027-10-31
Keywords
Behavior, Education
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
J24, I23, D84, J31, I21, J62
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
We study how students’ perceptions of skill-related wage returns shape study-job choices and later labor market outcomes. Little is known about early labor market experiences and the relevance of study-job skills for future employment. Using a vignette experiment with Bachelor’s and Master’s students, we elicit perceived wage premia for study-job skills and assess the role of preferences, job attributes, and misperceptions. An information provision experiment identifies how biased beliefs about skill returns influence hypothetical job choices, shedding light on early human capital investment decisions.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Eriksen, Jesper and Franziska Valder. 2026. "Skills, Beliefs, and Choice. Perceptions of Skill Premia and Study–Work Decisions." AEA RCT Registry. February 10. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.17785-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2026-02-09
Intervention End Date
2027-10-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
own and average-student wage premia for jobs that have a large skill overlap with graduate jobs, as well as uncertainty, and hypothetical job choice, as well as later realized job choice.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We randomize each subject into one of two conditions: In the first condition, respondents will be provided with additional information on the importance of skills for future wages. In the second condition, no further information is provided. We are interested in how additional information impacts expected wage premia to skills overlapping with graduate jobs.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
randomization within survey
Randomization Unit
individual level
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
surrvey will be sent out to ca 2,000 respondents
Sample size: planned number of observations
surrvey will be sent out to ca 2,000 respondents
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
surrvey will be sent out to ca 2,000 respondents, half will be treated.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials

Documents

Document Name
questionnaire - Danish
Document Type
survey_instrument
Document Description
File
questionnaire - Danish

MD5: 7a24ea0e5a1d0e3d38504a3afa669038

SHA1: 29f1bbfd8623713da47919f561bf099a1e810fc2

Uploaded At: February 09, 2026

Document Name
questionnaire - English
Document Type
survey_instrument
Document Description
File
questionnaire - English

MD5: 84dc679643a52a0a290b9e08191a1c7d

SHA1: fff0dccd65e75e176c6ed28bde721bcb943e893c

Uploaded At: February 09, 2026

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IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Research Ethics Committee at the Department of Economics of Copenhagen University
IRB Approval Date
2025-11-25
IRB Approval Number
n/a
Analysis Plan

Analysis Plan Documents

Analysis Plan Skills, Beliefs and Choices

MD5: 18b181d5438b900314bd1095f8aed9f7

SHA1: f5cfe7b74ac913ad13e3947bdf61bce9d59cdec6

Uploaded At: February 10, 2026