Potential partner preferences in the marriage market: Evidence from an Online Field Experiment

Last registered on March 05, 2026
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Potential partner preferences in the marriage market: Evidence from an Online Field Experiment
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0017813
Initial registration date
February 26, 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
March 05, 2026, 6:18 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
Haoran He
Affiliation
Beijing Normal University
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Kelin Lu
PI Affiliation
Huazhong University of Science and Technology
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PI Name
Dan Wang
PI Affiliation
Beijing Normal University
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PI Name
Qian Weng
PI Affiliation
Renmin University of China
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Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2026-02-05
End date
2027-02-05
Keywords
Other
Additional Keywords
potential partner preferences, field experiment, marriage market
JEL code(s)
J12
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
We conduct an incentivized field experiment in a marriage market to estimate potential partner preferences and quantify the value of various potential partner characteristics, and explore heterogeneity in preferences across individuals.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
He, Haoran et al. 2026. "Potential partner preferences in the marriage market: Evidence from an Online Field Experiment." AEA RCT Registry. March 05. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.17813-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
n/a
Intervention Start Date
2026-02-05
Intervention End Date
2027-02-05

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
- Rating: How interested a participant is in a partner profile assuming the partner is interested in initiating contact and meeting with the participant, from worse than staying single (0) to extremely ideal (3).
- Implied outcome of interest: Willingness to pay (WTP) for a potential partner attribute. Based on a reduced-form estimation of a linear model of rating against potential partner attributes, we can estimate WTP for each attribute by the ratio of estimated coefficient on the attribute over that on income; or structurally estimated parameter based on non-linear utility function over potential partner attributes.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
n/a

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
n/a
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)
n/a

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We conducted an incentivized field experiment in a marriage market to estimate potential partner preferences and quantify the value of various potential partner characteristics, and explore heterogeneity in preferences across individuals. In addition, we elicit participants’ planned choice of partners, belief on how likely each type of potential partner will choose the participant as marriage partner, beliefs on the share of each type of potential partner, beliefs on the share of same gender competitors who choose each type of potential partner, beliefs on how likely each type of potential partner will choose someone who chooses them as marriage partner.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
We made a stratified randomization based on participants’ gender.
Randomization Unit
The unit of randomization is at the participant level.
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
n/a
Sample size: planned number of observations
1500 participants (subject to change due to unpredictable sample attrition)
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
n/a
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
n/a
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Business School of Beijing Normal University
IRB Approval Date
2026-02-03
IRB Approval Number
BNU-BS-IRB 2026-015
Analysis Plan

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