Simplifying energy fact sheets to improve consumer understanding

Last registered on November 14, 2018
View Trial History

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Simplifying energy fact sheets to improve consumer understanding
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0002598
Initial registration date
November 23, 2017
Last updated
November 14, 2018, 12:22 AM EST

Locations

Country
Australia
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Shea Houlihan
Affiliation
Behavioural Economics Team of the Australian Government
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

Additional Trial Information

Status
Completed
Start date
2017-11-13
End date
2017-11-21
Keywords
Environment & Energy, Governance
Additional Keywords
Government, communication, energy use
JEL code(s)
D12 (Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis)
Secondary IDs
Abstract
The Behavioural Economics Team of the Australian Government (BETA) will prepare advice concerning the design of energy price fact sheets. Fact sheets aim to help consumers compare energy plans. Behaviourally informed designs may also improve consumer comprehension, clarity, and ease of decision making with regard to household energy choices. This is a mixed methods study, constituted of a framed field experiment and qualitative focus groups.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Houlihan, Shea. 2018. "Simplifying energy fact sheets to improve consumer understanding." AEA RCT Registry. November 14. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.2598-3.0
Former Citation
Houlihan, Shea and Shea Houlihan. 2018. "Simplifying energy fact sheets to improve consumer understanding." AEA RCT Registry. November 14. https://www.socialscienceregistry.org/trials/2598/history/37270
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2017-11-13
Intervention End Date
2017-11-21

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Proportion of respondents favouring each design; likelihood of respondents to change energy plans on the basis of information presented by a design; change in respondent confidence after exposure to a design
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Framed field experiment; focus groups
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Framed field experiment subjects will be randomized by computer algorithm
Randomization Unit
Individual
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
N/A
Sample size: planned number of observations
4,500 total respondents; 3 focus groups
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
750 per arm of framed field experiment; 5-7 individuals in each focus group
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

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Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
Yes
Intervention Completion Date
November 21, 2017, 12:00 +00:00
Data Collection Complete
Yes
Data Collection Completion Date
November 21, 2017, 12:00 +00:00
Final Sample Size: Number of Clusters (Unit of Randomization)
Was attrition correlated with treatment status?
Final Sample Size: Total Number of Observations
Final Sample Size (or Number of Clusters) by Treatment Arms
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Abstract
Citation
URL
https://behaviouraleconomics.pmc.gov.au/projects/simplifying-energy-fact-sheets-improve-consumer-understanding

Reports & Other Materials