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Field
Abstract
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Before
Students may not be aware of the contribution they can make by pursuing different majors, perceiving some fields as more associated with community well-being and others as lacking potential for social impact. We study these perceptions, along with students' preferences for this job attribute, and implement an information intervention to correct potential misperceptions about the social impact of different fields, allowing us to assess whether changes in these beliefs affect students' major choices.
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After
Students may not be aware of the contribution they can make by pursuing different majors, perceiving some fields as more associated with community well-being and others as lacking potential for social impact. We study these perceptions, along with students' preferences for this job attribute, and implement an information intervention to correct potential misperceptions about the social impact of different fields, allowing us to assess whether changes in these beliefs affect students' major choices.
We run also a follow-up survey two months later. The goal of this survey wave is to assess the persistence of treatment
effects on beliefs, advice given to peers, and major and minor intentions. We also collect qualitative data to gain a broader understanding of the other factors shaping students' choices.
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Last Published
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Before
March 10, 2026 10:18 AM
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After
May 20, 2026 01:38 PM
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Intervention End Date
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Before
May 31, 2026
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After
May 20, 2026
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Field
Primary Outcomes (End Points)
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Before
From the our main survey: (i) students' self-beliefs about the likelihood of being satisfied with their job's contribution to society in different fields, (ii) major intentions, and (iii) advice given to undecided peers who care about the contribution to society of their future job. From the University administrative records: (i) actual major and minor choices, and (ii) actual course selection.
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After
From the our main survey: (i) students' self-beliefs about the likelihood of being satisfied with their job's contribution to society in different fields, (ii) major intentions, and (iii) advice given to undecided peers who care about the contribution to society of their future job. From the University administrative records: (i) actual major and minor choices, and (ii) actual course selection. As primary outcomes in the follow-up we measure: (i) students' self-beliefs about the likelihood of being satisfied with their job's contribution to society in different fields, (ii)
major and minor intentions, and (iii) advice given to undecided peers who care about the contribution to society of their future job.
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Field
Planned Number of Observations
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Before
1,200
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After
1,200
Participants who completed the first survey are contacted by email with an invite to complete the follow-up.
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