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Social initiatives and stakeholder perceptions

Last registered on April 13, 2026
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Social initiatives and stakeholder perceptions
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0018187
Initial registration date
March 23, 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
April 13, 2026, 9:05 AM EDT

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

Locations

Country
United States of America
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Ivar Kolstad
Affiliation
Norwegian School of Economics
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

Additional Trial Information

Status
Completed
Start date
2026-03-23
End date
2026-03-27
Keywords
Behavior
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
Using a vignette experiment, we test how social initiatives affect stakeholder perceptions of companies.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Kolstad, Ivar. 2026. "Social initiatives and stakeholder perceptions." AEA RCT Registry. April 13. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.18187-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2026-03-23
Intervention End Date
2026-03-27

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Stakeholder perceptions of a company
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
See pre-analysis plan for details.

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We will perform an online randomized controlled trial studying how social initiatives affect stakeholder perceptions of companies. Information on company social initiatives will be varied across one control condition and three treatment conditions, using vignettes.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization by computer.
Randomization Unit
Individual
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
1600 individuals
Sample size: planned number of observations
1600 individuals
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
400 individuals in the control group, and 400 individuals in each of the three treatment groups.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Please see attached pre-analysis plan.
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Norwegian School of Economics Institutional Review Board
IRB Approval Date
2026-01-30
IRB Approval Number
NHH-IRB-2026-139
Analysis Plan

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