Immersive Experiences and Environmental Preferences: Effects of an Interactive Theatre Performance on Support for Nature-Based Coastal Protection Policies

Last registered on April 29, 2026
View Trial History

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Immersive Experiences and Environmental Preferences: Effects of an Interactive Theatre Performance on Support for Nature-Based Coastal Protection Policies
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0018499
Initial registration date
April 27, 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 29, 2026, 4:24 PM EDT

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

Locations

There is information in this trial unavailable to the public. Use the button below to request access.

Request Information

Primary Investigator

Name
Gorm Kipperberg
Affiliation
University of Stavanger
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Julia Bronnmann
PI Affiliation
University of Southern Denmark
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2026-04-27
End date
2027-06-30
Keywords
Environment & Energy, Governance, Welfare
Additional Keywords
nature-based solutions, coastal flood protection, climate adaptation, immersive theatre, survey experiment, contingent valuation, willingness to pay, referendum support, environmental preferences, field experiment
JEL code(s)
Q51, Q54, D91, C93, H41
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
his study examines whether participation in an immersive and interactive theatre performance can influence public attitudes and preferences regarding climate adaptation policy. The intervention is a live performance centered on water, flooding risk, and societal trade-offs. Audience members attending scheduled performances are invited to complete a short anonymous survey either before or after the show.

The survey focuses on hypothetical nature-based coastal protection policies in Denmark. Respondents evaluate policy scenarios by indicating their level of support, how they would vote in a hypothetical referendum, and whether they would be willing to pay through an earmarked annual tax.

By comparing responses collected before and after the performance, the study assesses whether immersive cultural experiences can increase support for nature-based solutions, strengthen policy acceptance, and affect stated willingness to pay for climate adaptation measures.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Bronnmann, Julia and Gorm Kipperberg. 2026. "Immersive Experiences and Environmental Preferences: Effects of an Interactive Theatre Performance on Support for Nature-Based Coastal Protection Policies." AEA RCT Registry. April 29. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.18499-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
The intervention is exposure to an immersive and interactive theatre performance addressing themes of water scarcity, flooding risk, climate adaptation, and societal trade-offs. Audience members attending scheduled performances are invited to complete an anonymous survey either before the performance (control condition) or after the performance (treatment condition). The study evaluates whether participation in the performance influences support for nature-based coastal protection policies, referendum voting propensity, and stated willingness to pay.
Intervention Start Date
2026-04-27
Intervention End Date
2027-06-30

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Primary outcomes for each of two policy scenarios are: (1) 7-point policy support rating, (2) yes-vote in hypothetical referendum, (3) indicator for positive WTP, and (4) maximum annual WTP (DKK). Outcomes analyzed separately and pooled where appropriate.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
Most primary outcomes are directly observed survey responses rather than latent indices. Construction will be as follows:

(1) Policy support: coded 1–7 from strongly oppose to strongly support.
(2) Referendum support: binary indicator equal to 1 if the respondent votes in favor, 0 if against; “do not know” responses analyzed separately or excluded depending on specification.
(3) Positive WTP: binary indicator equal to 1 if the respondent states willingness to pay for implementation, 0 otherwise.
(4) Maximum annual WTP: self-reported annual amount in DKK based on the open-ended maximum willingness-to-pay response.

Outcomes are measured for each of two policy scenarios and may also be pooled using scenario indicators where appropriate.

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary outcomes include respondent concern about coastal flooding in Denmark, perceived quality of current coastal protection efforts, prior awareness of the term “nature-based solutions,” and environmental attitudes / nature connectedness. The study may also examine heterogeneity in primary outcomes by socio-demographic characteristics, location, prior NbS awareness, flooding concern, and environmental attitudes.
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)
Secondary outcomes will be constructed as follows: (1) Flooding concern coded on an ordered scale from not at all concerned to very concerned; (2) Current coastal protection evaluation coded on an ordered scale from very poor to very good, with “don’t know” retained as a separate category or treated separately in robustness checks; (3) Prior NbS awareness coded as categorical responses (yes / no / not sure), with binary awareness indicators created where useful; (4) Environmental attitudes / nature connectedness constructed from the multi-item Likert battery by coding responses numerically and creating standardized item scores and/or additive index measures where internal consistency is adequate. Socio-demographic variables are directly observed categorical measures used primarily for subgroup and heterogeneity analyses.

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
The study uses a clustered pre/post field experimental design embedded in scheduled public performances an immersive and interactive theatre production. At each location, the performance is staged on two separate days. Audience members attending one session are invited to complete an anonymous survey before the performance (control condition), while audience members attending the second session complete the same survey after the performance (treatment condition).

The questionnaire includes two hypothetical policy scenarios involving nature-based coastal protection measures. For each scenario, respondents report policy support, hypothetical referendum voting preferences, and willingness to pay. The primary comparison is between pre-performance and post-performance respondents within and across locations.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Administrative cluster-level assignment based on pre-specified survey timing by performance day. Within each location, one session is surveyed before the performance and the second session after the performance.
Randomization Unit
Theatre performance session/day within location (cluster level); respondents are nested within sessions.
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
4 confirmed theatre sessions in Denmark (two locations × two days), with expansion to up to 8 total sessions with planned implementations in Hungary and Portugal proceed.
Sample size: planned number of observations
Approximately 80–120 individual respondents currently planned (Denmark), with possible expansion to approximately 160–240 total respondents if Hungary and Portugal implementations proceed.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
Confirmed Denmark implementation: 2 performance sessions/clusters assigned to the pre-performance control condition and 2 performance sessions/clusters assigned to the post-performance treatment condition, with approximately 20–30 respondents per cluster. This implies approximately 40–60 respondents in the control arm and 40–60 respondents in the treatment arm. WIth planned Hungary and Portugal implementations proceed, the full sample will include up to 4 control clusters and 4 treatment clusters, corresponding to approximately 80–120 respondents per arm.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Given the small number of planned performance-session clusters and uncertainty regarding final attendance, no single precise ex ante MDE is specified. The study is primarily powered to detect moderate-to-large effects in the main outcomes. Results will emphasize estimated effect sizes and confidence intervals.
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
HHUiS-IRB board
IRB Approval Date
2026-04-24
IRB Approval Number
HHUiS-IRB-2026-004
Analysis Plan

There is information in this trial unavailable to the public. Use the button below to request access.

Request Information