Is trust the answer to cognitive droughts? An experimental study of index insurance demand

Last registered on January 10, 2025
View Trial History

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Is trust the answer to cognitive droughts? An experimental study of index insurance demand
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0002715
Initial registration date
February 03, 2018

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
February 05, 2018, 12:36 PM EST

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

Last updated
January 10, 2025, 11:35 AM EST

Last updated is the most recent time when changes to the trial's registration were published.

Locations

Country
Kenya
Region
Meru

Primary Investigator

Name
Jonathan Stern
Affiliation
University of Sussex
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

Additional Trial Information

Status
Completed
Start date
2018-02-12
End date
2018-10-31
Keywords
Agriculture
Additional Keywords
Index insurance
JEL code(s)
Field experiments, Insurance, Household Behavior and Family Economics
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
Does cognitive load increase reliance on who we trust when making decisions? We design a lab in the field experiment to explore factors affecting takeup of a novel agricultural index insurance product. We randomly prime subjects to experience cognitive load, a state of limited limited mental resources, and also randomly provide endorsement of the product by a trusted individual. A short experimental game is carried out to measure subjects' risk aversion.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Stern, Jonathan. 2025. "Is trust the answer to cognitive droughts? An experimental study of index insurance demand." AEA RCT Registry. January 10. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.2715-3.0
Former Citation
Stern, Jonathan. 2025. "Is trust the answer to cognitive droughts? An experimental study of index insurance demand." AEA RCT Registry. January 10. https://www.socialscienceregistry.org/trials/2715/history/248041
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Subjects are offered a short presentation about an index insurance product. For a random sub-sample, this is followed by endorsement by a trusted individual; likely to be an agrovet or agronomist. We randomly prime a sub-group of subjects to experience cognitive load, a state of limited limited mental resources. A short experimental game is carried out to measure subjects' risk aversion.
Intervention (Hidden)
Intervention Start Date
2018-02-12
Intervention End Date
2018-02-23

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Uptake of index insurance
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
The experiment is designed according to a 2x2 factorial matrix, with each cell comprising 75 individuals. Treatments are priming to induce cognitive load, and endorsement of the product by a trusted individual. All subjects participate in baseline, midline and endline surveys, including a risk aversion game.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Random selection from lists of participants.
Randomization Unit
Individual
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
Approximately 15 villages.
Sample size: planned number of observations
300
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
75
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
University of Sussex Social Sciences & Arts C-REC
IRB Approval Date
2018-01-15
IRB Approval Number
ER/JS752/1
Analysis Plan

Analysis Plan Documents

Analysis plan trust load insurance study April 2018

MD5: a27c8ae5dd4f1146094bad0419d7f48d

SHA1: 71e4003f1d0f70a53c62e0abecd69027497120d2

Uploaded At: April 02, 2018

Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
Yes
Intervention Completion Date
February 26, 2018, 12:00 +00:00
Data Collection Complete
Yes
Data Collection Completion Date
October 31, 2018, 12:00 +00:00
Final Sample Size: Number of Clusters (Unit of Randomization)
Was attrition correlated with treatment status?
No
Final Sample Size: Total Number of Observations
303
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)

Reports & Other Materials