Using Websites Effectively for Sharing Cyber Security Advice

Last registered on April 06, 2020

View Trial History

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title

Using Websites Effectively for Sharing Cyber Security Advice

RCT ID

AEARCTR-0005519

Initial registration date

March 02, 2020

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

March 02, 2020, 3:36 PM EST

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

Last updated

April 06, 2020, 1:13 AM EDT

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

Locations

Country

Australia

Region

Primary Investigator

Name

BETA Team Registration

Affiliation

Behavioural Economics Team of the Australian Government

Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

Additional Trial Information

Status

Completed

Start date

2019-03-26

End date

2020-04-03

Keywords

Crime, Violence, & Conflict

Additional Keywords

Cyber security, cybersecurity, cyber-security, passwords, software updates.

JEL code(s)

Secondary IDs

Abstract

In partnership with the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC), the Behavioural Economics Team of the Australian Government (BETA) is conducting research to improve cyber security advice for individuals in their personal lives.
Individuals can protect themselves and reduce their risk of becoming victims of cyber attacks by implementing certain behaviours. In particular, using strong and different passwords across important accounts, and regularly updating their devices’ software.
The study involves a survey with embedded framed field experiment. The survey aims to gain deeper insight into cyber security attitudes, awareness, and current practices. The embedded survey experiment aims to examine which ways of presenting information might result in the most significant change to intentions and behaviours.

External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation

Team Registration, BETA. 2020. "Using Websites Effectively for Sharing Cyber Security Advice." AEA RCT Registry. April 06. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.5519-1.1

Sponsors & Partners

Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)

During a framed field experiment, participants will be exposed to cyber security advice relating to improving cyber-security behaviours surrounding strong passwords and timely updating of software and apps.
We will test different ways of framing this information by varying the messenger delivering the information and the framing of potential consequences of poor behaviour.

Intervention Start Date

2020-03-03

Intervention End Date

2020-04-03

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)

- Participants’ self-reported intentions to create strong and different passwords across their important accounts
- Participants’ self-reported intentions to update software on their devices immediately after being prompted.
- Participants cyber-security knowledge (password and update behaviours) at the time of exposure to our intervention
- Participants’ cyber-security knowledge (password and update behaviours) at the time of our follow-up survey (2 weeks later)
- Participants’ self-reported behaviours around password and update behaviours at the time of the follow-up survey (2 weeks later)

Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)

Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

This experiment has a factorial design. Participants will see advice on two cyber security behaviours (two separate experiments). Advice will be varied as a factorial design along two axes, relating to the advice messenger and the framing of consequences.

Experimental Design Details

This experiment has a factorial design. Participants will see advice on two cyber security behaviours (two separate experiments).
They will see:
1. Password security advice; then
2. Software update advice.
In each experiment, all participants will be randomised into one of six possible cells based on a combination of either financial or non-financial consequences, and one of the three messenger arms (Control, expert, and peer).

Randomization Method

Participants will be initially randomised at an individual level for allocation to the password security experiment (A1 through A6). All participants will then be re-randomised at an individual level for allocation to the software update experiment (B1 through B6). In both cases, the allocation ratio will give an equal number in all six cells.

Randomization Unit

Individual

Was the treatment clustered?

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters

N/A

Sample size: planned number of observations

4500

Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms

A1 = 750
A2 = 750
A3 = 750
A4 = 750
A5 = 750
A6 = 750

B1 = 750
B2 = 750
B3 = 750
B4 = 750
B5 = 750
B6 = 750

Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)

See attached pre-analysis plan. At 80% power we are powered to detect an effect size of around: - Messenger arm 5.1% (p<0.05), 6.1% (p<0.0125) - Consequences arm 4.2% (p<0.05), 5.0% (p<0.0125)

Supporting Documents and Materials

IRB