The effect of production and process performance for political trust during the covid-19 pandemic
Last registered on December 05, 2020
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information
General Information
Title
The effect of production and process performance for political trust during the covid-19 pandemic
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0005615
Initial registration date
March 30, 2020
Last updated
December 05, 2020 12:38 PM EST
Location(s)
Country
Denmark
Region
Primary Investigator
Name
Maria Falk Mikkelsen
Affiliation
VIVE - The Danish Center for Social Science Research
Contact Primary Investigator
Other Primary Investigator(s)
Additional Trial Information
Status
Completed
Start date
2020-03-30
End date
2020-11-27
Keywords
Governance, Health, Welfare
Additional Keywords
Political trust, Public performance
JEL code(s)
H83, H11, H12
Secondary IDs
Abstract
This study will use a conjoint survey experiment to test the importance of production and process performance for political trust. The survey is fielded during the third week of school closures in Denmark (March 30th-April 6th) due to the coronavirus (covid-19). The survey experiment tests the effect of production performance outcomes (fatality rate, economic costs) and process performance outcomes (equality in health, equality in economic costs, use of cellphone data) on political trust and the respondents’ preferred choice of strategy towards the coronavirus.
External Link(s)
Registration Citation
Citation
Mikkelsen, Maria Falk. 2020. "The effect of production and process performance for political trust during the covid-19 pandemic." AEA RCT Registry. December 05. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.5615-1.4000000000000001.
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details
Interventions
Intervention(s)
The survey experiment uses a conjoint design. Respondents are either presented with the hypothetical outcomes of one strategy (1/3 of the respondents) or two strategies (2/3 of the respondents) that vary on five dimensions. The respondents are told to imagine that the government is considering the strategy/the strategies in the fight against covid-19 and are asked to score the strategy/the strategies in relation to political trust and prefered choice of strategy.

The survey experiment uses a conjoint design. Respondents are either presented with the hypothetical outcomes of one strategy (1/3 of the respondents) or two strategies (2/3 of the respodents). The respondents with two strategies are thus able to compare, while the respondent with only one strategy will have no provided reference point. The respondents are told to imagine that the government is considering the strategy/the strategies in the fight against covid-19. The strategies vary on five dimensions (which are presented randomly):

1) The fatality rate [0.1-0.3%,0.5-1%, 3-5%]
2) The economic costs [less than the 2008 financial crises, about the same as the 2008 financial crises, more than the 2008 financial crises]
3) Use of GPS data from cellphones [yes, no]
4) Who will be able to get tested for the virus [all who have a need, only the very ill, only the very ill and those that are able to pay for test]
5) Who will suffer from most from the economic costs (all equally, low-wage earners and vulnerable groups]
Intervention Start Date
2020-03-30
Intervention End Date
2020-04-06
Primary Outcomes
Primary Outcomes (end points)
Rating of strategy, Political trust
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
Secondary Outcomes
Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)
Experimental Design
Experimental Design
The survey experiment uses a conjoint design. Respondents are either presented with hypothetical outcomes of one strategy (1/3 of the respondents) or two strategies (2/3 of the respodents). The respondents are told to imagine that the government is considering the strategy/the strategies in the fight against covid-19. The strategies vary on five dimensions (which are presented randomly):
1) The fatality rate (three outcomes)
2) The economic costs (three outcomes)
3) Useage of GPS data from cellphones (two outcomes)
4) Who will be able to get tested for the virus (three outcomes)
5) Who will suffer from most from the economic costs (two outcomes)

Respondents are assigned one or two of the 108 strategies randomly.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Randomization by computer
Randomization Unit
Individual
Was the treatment clustered?
No
Experiment Characteristics
Sample size: planned number of clusters
2000 individuals
Sample size: planned number of observations
2000 individuals
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
As the study uses a conjoint design the concept of treatment arms is not applicable. The study does, however, divide the respondents into two groups. One group will only be presented with one strategy (approximately 650 individuals), while the other group (1,350) is presented with two strategies.
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
Post-Trial
Post Trial Information
Study Withdrawal
Intervention
Is the intervention completed?
Yes
Intervention Completion Date
April 06, 2020, 12:00 AM +00:00
Is data collection complete?
Yes
Data Collection Completion Date
April 06, 2020, 12:00 AM +00:00
Final Sample Size: Number of Clusters (Unit of Randomization)
2025 respondents
Was attrition correlated with treatment status?
No
Final Sample Size: Total Number of Observations
2025 respondents
Final Sample Size (or Number of Clusters) by Treatment Arms
Data Publication
Data Publication
Is public data available?
No

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Program Files
Program Files
No
Reports, Papers & Other Materials
Relevant Paper(s)
REPORTS & OTHER MATERIALS