'No country for young women'. Population aging and youth labor market perceptions

Last registered on May 27, 2026
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
'No country for young women'. Population aging and youth labor market perceptions
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0018682
Initial registration date
May 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
May 27, 2026, 10:13 AM EDT

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

Locations

Country
Italy
Region
Rome

Primary Investigator

Name
Erminia Florio
Affiliation
HEC Montréal
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

Additional Trial Information

Status
Completed
Start date
2024-10-18
End date
2025-06-04
Keywords
Behavior, Education, Labor
Additional Keywords
Information provision, Ageing, Survey experiment
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
This study evaluates the effect of information about demographic trends on youth perceptions of the labor market and preferences for mobility. To do so, we conduct a survey experiment on more than 900 high school students in Rome, Italy. Half of the sample receives information on the demographic trends in Italy (Treatment group) while the rest of them receive unrelated information on renewable energies
(Control group).
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Florio, Erminia. 2026. "'No country for young women'. Population aging and youth labor market perceptions ." AEA RCT Registry. May 27. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.18682-1.0
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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
We implement a randomized survey experiment on more than 900 high school students in the municipality of Rome.
After collecting students' demographic characteristics, half of the sample is randomly exposed to simple information on population ageing in Italy (treatment group), whereas the rest of the sample receives unrelated information on renewable energies in Europe (control group).
Following the information provision, we elicit students' expectations on the labor market in Italy, their perceptions of equality of opportunity, and their intentions to migrate.
Intervention (Hidden)
We implement a school-based survey experiment administered between October 2024 and February 2025. The survey is designed using Qualtrics and completed by students on their smartphones during class time. An enumerator was present in each classroom to supervise the process, ensure that students completed the questionnaire independently, and address any questions. Importantly, the survey was conducted anonymously.
The survey consists of three sections. The first section collects demographic information, including age, gender, school, class, migrant background, and parental education. The second section elicits students’ aspirations and self-assessed talents. Subsequently, students are randomly assigned to an information treatment. Specifically, half of the participants (treatment group) receive information on population aging in Italy and Europe (including average age, the share of elderly individuals, and the proportion of youth). The remaining participants (control group) receive information on renewable energy in Europe (including definitions and the share of renewables in total energy production). In both groups, the information is presented with accompanying graphics and images.
The third section includes questions on perceived opportunities in Italy, perceptions of fairness in the education system and labor market, migration intentions, and policy preferences. Outcomes are measured using Likert-type agreement scales and 0–100 probability scales, following standard practices in the expectations literature.
Intervention Start Date
2024-10-18
Intervention End Date
2025-02-07

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Perceived opportunities in Italy, labor market perceptions, mobility intentions
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Individual randomization, treatment and control groups have equal size (ratio is 1).
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Randomization done automatically by the survey software (Qualtrics).
Randomization Unit
Individual randomization
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
46 classes from 12 schools.
Sample size: planned number of observations
1,000 students.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
500 students control, 500 information treatment.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
IRB Approval Date
IRB Approval Number
Analysis Plan

Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
No
Data Collection Complete
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials