Cultural Norms and Retirement Preferences: Evidence from a Survey Experiment in China

Last registered on April 06, 2026
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Cultural Norms and Retirement Preferences: Evidence from a Survey Experiment in China
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0018260
Initial registration date
March 31, 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 06, 2026, 7:53 AM EDT

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

Locations

Country
China
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Yijie Wang
Affiliation
Shenzhen University
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Ping Zhang
PI Affiliation
Shenzhen University
PI Name
Mengjuan Tu
PI Affiliation
Shenzhen University

Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2026-03-23
End date
2026-05-10
Keywords
Labor
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
This study examines how cultural values influence individuals’ preferences regarding delayed retirement. In particular, it focuses on whether activating norms related to filial piety—an important component of traditional Confucian culture—affects attitudes toward retirement. We conduct an online survey experiment with approximately 600 participants aged 45–59 in China. Participants are randomly assigned to one of two groups. In the treatment group, individuals answer a set of questions designed to make filial piety-related ideas more salient. In the control group, individuals answer general knowledge questions unrelated to cultural values. After this task, all participants receive the same information about the current delayed retirement policy and then participate in a discrete choice experiment. In this experiment, participants are asked to choose between pairs of hypothetical retirement plans that differ in several attributes, including retirement age, pension benefits, flexibility of work, and type of employer. By comparing responses across groups, this study aims to understand whether cultural norms shape how individuals evaluate retirement options. The findings may provide insights into how cultural factors influence policy acceptance and individual decision-making related to retirement.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Tu, Mengjuan, Yijie Wang and Ping Zhang. 2026. "Cultural Norms and Retirement Preferences: Evidence from a Survey Experiment in China." AEA RCT Registry. April 06. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.18260-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
The intervention consists of a cultural norm activation task implemented prior to the main decision task. Participants are randomly assigned to one of two groups.
* Treatment group (filial piety activation): Participants complete a set of knowledge-based questions related to filial piety in Confucian culture.
* Control group: Participants complete a set of general knowledge questions that are unrelated to Confucian culture or family norms. The number and format of questions are similar to those in the treatment group.
The purpose of this intervention is to exogenously vary the salience of cultural norms while keeping other aspects of the task constant.
Intervention Start Date
2026-03-23
Intervention End Date
2026-05-10

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
The primary outcome of interest is individuals’ retirement preferences and delayed retirement intentions. Specifically, we measure:
* Stated willingness to delay retirement under current policy conditions
* Preferences over retirement schemes elicited through a discrete choice experiment (DCE)
* Trade-offs between key retirement attributes, including: Retirement age、Pension benefits、Flexible work arrangements、Type of employer (public vs. private sector)
From the DCE, we will construct:
* Choice-based indicators of preferred retirement plans
* Estimated marginal utilities and willingness-to-accept (WTA) for delayed retirement attributes
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
This study is an online randomized survey experiment conducted among Chinese residents aged 45–59. Participants are randomly assigned to one of two groups:
* Treatment group (Confucian norm activation): Participants complete a set of knowledge questions related to filial piety in Confucian culture.
* Control group: Participants complete a set of general knowledge questions unrelated to Confucian values.
After the priming task, all participants take part in a discrete choice experiment, where they choose between hypothetical retirement plans differing in Retirement age、Pension benefits、Flexible work options、Employer type.
Finally, demographic and socioeconomic information is collected.
The key treatment effect identifies how cultural norm activation influences retirement preferences and policy acceptance.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization is implemented automatically by the online survey platform using a computer-generated random assignment procedure.
Randomization Unit
The unit of randomization is the individual participant.
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
600 individual participants
Sample size: planned number of observations
600 individual participants. All participants are Chinese residents aged 45–59 recruited via an online platform.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
300 individuals in the treatment group (Confucian norm activation)
300 individuals in the control group (general knowledge questions)
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

Analysis Plan