The Cost of Identity: Theory and Experimental Evidence from the Energy Labor Market

Last registered on July 27, 2026
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
The Cost of Identity: Theory and Experimental Evidence from the Energy Labor Market
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0019206
Initial registration date
July 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
July 27, 2026, 7:25 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
Matthew OBrien
Affiliation
London School of Economics
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Marta Morando
PI Affiliation
London School of Economics
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PI Name
Gaia Dossi
PI Affiliation
Einaudi Institute for Economics and Finance
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Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2026-08-01
End date
2026-09-30
Keywords
Behavior, Environment & Energy, Labor
Additional Keywords
identity, climate change
JEL code(s)
D91, J24
Secondary IDs
Q52, Q56
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
This study examines how identity — both people's private sense of who they are and the image they present to others — shapes career choices in the energy sector, an industry split by a strong political and cultural divide. In an online survey experiment with adults recruited through an online research platform, participants choose between hypothetical job offers that differ in salary, sector, and other characteristics, allowing us to measure how much pay people are willing to give up to hold a job that fits their identity. We experimentally vary whether choices are private or visible to others, separating the role of self-image from social image, and we complement stated choices with real-stakes decisions such as charitable donations. The results will help us understand whether identity concerns misallocate talent across sectors, and what that misallocation costs society.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Dossi, Gaia, Marta Morando and Matthew OBrien. 2026. "The Cost of Identity: Theory and Experimental Evidence from the Energy Labor Market." AEA RCT Registry. July 27. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.19206-1.0
Sponsors & Partners

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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2026-08-01
Intervention End Date
2026-09-30

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Wages willing to forgoe to select job that aligns with identity (measured green idenitity + green job); interest in company training and interest in RA position (yes/no questions)
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
The study is an online survey experiment conducted with a student sample recruited through an online research platform. All randomisation occurs at the individual level within the survey software. Participants are first randomly assigned to a short writing task that either makes environmental identity salient or serves as an effort-matched neutral control. They then complete a job-choice (conjoint) module in which the attributes of paired hypothetical job offers — wage, remote-work arrangement, company specialisation, and team — are independently randomised across choice tasks. Two further modules present real-stakes decisions (interest in a career-training programme and an application to a paid research-assistant position) under a 2×2 design that cross-randomises the type of energy-sector partner firm with whether participation would be publicly visible or private; the two modules are randomised independently of each other, and the order of the main modules is counterbalanced across participants. Full details of the treatments, outcomes, and analysis are specified in the pre-analysis plan.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization at the individual level, done on Qualtrics
Randomization Unit
Individual across all randomization arms (priming; conjoint; training; RA hiring)
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
NA
Sample size: planned number of observations
1500 individuals (students)
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
Priming - 750 in each arm
Conjoint - The conjoint is a within-subject design: all respondents complete the same five forced-choice tasks, so there are no between-subject arms.
Training - 375 in each arm
RA Hiring - 375 in each arm
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
London School of Ecomomics
IRB Approval Date
2026-07-23
IRB Approval Number
776370
Analysis Plan

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