The Impact of the COVID-19 Epidemic in Texas -- A Multi-Paper Pre-Analysis Plan

Last registered on April 14, 2020

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
The Impact of the COVID-19 Epidemic in Texas -- A Multi-Paper Pre-Analysis Plan
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0005717
Initial registration date
April 13, 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
April 14, 2020, 12:48 PM EDT

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

Locations

Region

Primary Investigator

Affiliation

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Affiliation
PI Affiliation
PI Affiliation

Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2020-04-05
End date
2020-05-30
Secondary IDs
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has already had a profound socioeconomic impact in Texas. This pre-analysis plan describes our proposed analysis of the impacts of the COVID-19 epidemic on multiple socioeconomic outcomes in Texas. We plan on writing multiple papers that use the same data sets and similar identification strategies.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Angelucci, Manuela et al. 2020. "The Impact of the COVID-19 Epidemic in Texas -- A Multi-Paper Pre-Analysis Plan." AEA RCT Registry. April 14. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.5717-1.0
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
The Center for Opinion Research at The University of Texas at Tyler is conducting a 1,050 person online survey of adult residents from the state of Texas. The survey randomly interviews members from the Dynata’s non-probability online panel, stratifying by gender. The survey also employs a supplement of 75 telephone respondents, both cell phones and land lines, from a random digit dial probability sample.
Intervention Start Date
2020-04-05
Intervention End Date
2020-04-11

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Mental health
• Anxiety
• Depression


Coping behaviors (creating separate indices for healthy and unhealthy behavior)
• Alcohol consumption
• Drug Use

Guns
• Gun ownership
• Number of guns in the household
• Carrying guns
• Gun storage
• Gun purchase in the previous 7 and 30 days
• Intention to buy a gun
• Should gun stores be deemed essential business

Political views
• Partisanship
• Approval of Governor
• Approval of POTUS
• Voting for Trump re-election
• Voting for a different political party (2020 vs 2016)
Intimate Partner Violence (past 7 days)
• More fights/arguments than usual
• Experience of (i) verbal abuse, (ii) threat of physical violence, (iii) physical violence
• Seeking reconciliation
• Perpetrating (i) verbal abuse, (ii) threat of physical violence, (iii) physical violence
• Partner seeking reconciliation

Beliefs and perceptions about coronavirus
• How soon do you believe the coronavirus pandemic will end in your community
• Agreement with the following
Coronavirus is a major public health threat.
COVID=19 is as severe as the common flu.
There has been too much unnecessary worry about the COVID-19 outbreak.
A person can transmit the coronavirus if they do not have symptoms.
Coronavirus and the COVID-19 pandemic will probably lead to civil unrest (looting, lawlessness).
It is important to take precautions to avoid potentially infecting other people, even for people who don’t have symptoms.
The threat of coronavirus and COVID-19 has been blown out of proportion.
Chinese people in the US are more likely to have and spread the coronavirus.
China is responsible for the coronavirus pandemic.
• How much is coronavirus a threat
Major Threat Minor Threat Not a Threat Prefer not to answer
The US economy 5 4 3 97
The health of the US population as a whole 5 4 3 97
Daily life in your community 5 4 3 97
Your personal financial situation 5 4 3 97
Your personal health 5 4 3 97

Labor Market
• Current employment.
• Unpaid work
• Change in employment status
• Change in work hours

Economic Insecurity
• Subjective expectations of “running out of money” in the next three months.
• Financial position


Safety Net Utilization
• Unemployment Insurance (or other support) application and receipt.


Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
The Center for Opinion Research at The University of Texas at Tyler is conducting a 1,050 person online survey of adult residents from the state of Texas. The survey randomly interviews members from the Dynata’s non-probability online panel, stratifying by gender. The survey also employs a supplement of 75 telephone respondents, both cell phones and land lines, from a random digit dial probability sample.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Each phone call was made from a list of randomly generated phone numbers that matched the area codes in Texas and numbers that have been assigned to major cell phone providers (AT&T, T-Mobile Verizon, etc.). All the landline and cell phone numbers were randomized by a computer before entry into the CATI system. Each web survey was completed by randomly emailing participants that reside in Texas and have opted-in to take surveys from Dynata. There are multiple points of randomization to recruit each participant.
Randomization Unit
Individual, stratified by gender for the Dynata sample
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
254
Sample size: planned number of observations
approximately 1000
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
there is no experiment, so I am not sure how to answer this question. If we are looking at number of covid cases/deaths by county, there are 254 counties in Texas, and that is the max number of available clusters. All counties would be "treated" but with different intensity
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
The University of Texas at Tyler
IRB Approval Date
2020-04-01
IRB Approval Number
IRB-FY2020-57
Analysis Plan

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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