The impact of religious identity on hiring outcomes

Last registered on April 24, 2026

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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title

The impact of religious identity on hiring outcomes

RCT ID

AEARCTR-0018254

Initial registration date

April 20, 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 24, 2026, 8:57 AM EDT

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

Louise Devos

Affiliation

Ghent University

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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name

Stijn Baert

PI Affiliation

Ghent University

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PI Name

Louis Lippens

PI Affiliation

Ghent University

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Additional Trial Information

Status

In development

Start date

2026-04-19

End date

2026-05-19

Keywords

Labor

Additional Keywords

Discrimination, Hiring, Identity, Religion

JEL code(s)

J71, C93, J15, Z12, M51

Secondary IDs

Prior work

This trial is based on or builds upon one or more prior RCTs.

Abstract

This factorial survey experiment investigates hiring discrimination based on religious identity in Belgium. Recruiters evaluate fictitious job candidates whose profiles vary systematically across multiple characteristics, including religion (Islam or Christianity), visual signals or religion (hijab, beard, cross pendant), extracurricular activities (religious or general volunteering), ethnic background signalled through names (minority represented by Turkish and Polish names, majority by Belgian names), and gender (male or female). The study simulates the first stage of a recruitment process, using an HR software package to present the profiles to real recruiters. Outcomes such as the likelihood to invite the candidate to a job interview and perceived candidate skills are analysed.

External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation

Baert, Stijn, Louise Devos and Louis Lippens. 2026. "The impact of religious identity on hiring outcomes." AEA RCT Registry. April 24. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.18254-1.0

Sponsors & Partners

Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)

This study consists of a factorial survey experiment in which recruiters evaluate fictitious job candidates. Candidate profiles are presented in the format of an HR software interface and simulate the first stage of a recruitment process. Each respondent evaluates four candidate profiles and indicates hiring-related evaluations and perceptions.

Candidate profiles vary systematically across several experimentally manipulated dimensions, including gender, religious affiliation, visual signals of religion, ethnic background signalled through names, and extracurricular activities. The purpose of the intervention is to measure how religious identity and related signals affect hiring decisions and employer perceptions.

Profile pictures used in the experiment were selected based on a separate pre-registered photo validation study (https://www.socialscienceregistry.org/trials/18099).

Intervention Start Date

2026-04-19

Intervention End Date

2026-05-19

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)

- Hiring probability: likelihood that the candidate will be invited to the next stage of the hiring process (11-point Likert scale).
- Taste-based discrimination perceptions: expected willingness of employer, colleagues, and clients to work with the candidate (11-point Likert scale).
- Statistical discrimination perceptions: 6 HEXACO dimensions, candidate personality traits: honesty–humility, emotionality, extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, openness (11-point Likert scale).

Primary Outcomes (explanation)

For taste-based discrimination and statistical discrimination, composite indices are constructed by taking the mean of the items within each conceptual cluster. Item-level analyses will also be conducted.

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)

- Perceived religiosity of the candidate (11-point Likert scale).
- Perceived religious affiliation of the candidate (Christian, Muslim, atheist, or unknown)

Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

This study is a factorial survey experiment in which recruiters evaluate fictitious job candidates. The experimental design varies five candidate characteristics: gender, religion, visual religious signals, ethnic background signalled through names, and extracurricular activities.

The full factorial design results in 162 unique candidate profiles. These profiles are distributed across 41 vignette decks, each containing four candidate profiles. Each respondent is randomly assigned to one deck and evaluates four candidates. The order of candidate profiles is randomised.

The experiment simulates a realistic hiring context in which recruiters evaluate candidates for positions within their own company.

Experimental Design Details

Not available

Randomization Method

As described in the study design, the %MktBlock macro is first used to allocate the vignettes to decks.

Participants are randomly assigned to one of the decks through Qualtrics. Within each deck, the order of vignette presentation is randomised through Qualtrics to mitigate potential order effects.

Randomization Unit

Respondents are randomly assigned to vignette decks, and vignette order is randomized within respondents.

Was the treatment clustered?

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters

205 recruiters, each recruiter evaluates 4 candidate profiles.

Sample size: planned number of observations

Total expected observations: approximately 820 vignette evaluations

Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms

Treatment variation occurs at the vignette level within respondents.

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

The sample size is determined by the factorial survey design. Following Auspurg and Hinz (2014), each vignette deck should be evaluated multiple times to obtain stable estimates. With 41 decks and a target of at least five evaluations per deck, the required sample size is 205 respondents.

Supporting Documents and Materials