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The Role of Local and National Identities for Pro-Environmental Behavior - A Field Experiment in India

Last registered on August 02, 2018

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
The Role of Local and National Identities for Pro-Environmental Behavior - A Field Experiment in India
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0003189
Initial registration date
July 29, 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
August 02, 2018, 1:41 AM EDT

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

Locations

Primary Investigator

Affiliation
University of Cologne

Other Primary Investigator(s)

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2018-07-30
End date
2018-11-30
Secondary IDs
Abstract
Appeals to group identities can trigger humans to confirm their self-images and increase norm-consistent behavior. As humans have inescapably plural identities, politicians, companies and NGOs that want to use identity-based messages face a tough choice between the multiple identities of their audience in any particular context. In 2014, the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Clean India Campaign which was designed to shape social norms on littering and open-defecation. The nationwide campaign builds heavily on national identity and patriotism. This project will test which kind of identity should best be addressed in a public campaign to reduce littering throug a field experiment in Bengaluru, India.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Harrs, Sören. 2018. "The Role of Local and National Identities for Pro-Environmental Behavior - A Field Experiment in India ." AEA RCT Registry. August 02. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.3189-1.0
Former Citation
Harrs, Sören. 2018. "The Role of Local and National Identities for Pro-Environmental Behavior - A Field Experiment in India ." AEA RCT Registry. August 02. https://www.socialscienceregistry.org/trials/3189/history/32489
Sponsors & Partners

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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Posters containing identity-based messages and anti-littering norms are pinned in a smoking area.

Treatment one contains an appeal to national identity.
Treatment two contains an appeal to local community identity.
Intervention Start Date
2018-07-30
Intervention End Date
2018-09-04

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Rate of littering of cigarette butts
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Rate of littering of chai tea cups
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
The field experiment will be conducted in public locations in Bangalore with a high rate of littering: at smoking shops. In India, smoking in public is forbidden by law, but socially accepted around small smoking shops. Most shops sell individual cigarettes to smokers alongside the infamous masala tea, served in one way paper cups.

Posters containing identity-based messages and anti-littering norms are pinned in the smoking area. An appeal to national identity is tested against an appeal to local community identity and control.

A survey is conducted after subjects left the smoking area. The survey measures the senses of identification with the identities tested alongside socio-demographic characteristics. The individual survey data is linked to the individual observational data, which provides for a very rich data set.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Lottery for order of experimental sessions
Randomization Unit
Experimental sessions
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
300 Subjects
Sample size: planned number of observations
300 Subjects
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
100 Control, 100 Treatment National Identity, 100 Treatment Local Community Identity
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials

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IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
IRB Approval Date
IRB Approval Number

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