The Role of Heuristics and Perception in Influencing Individuals' Demand for Social Distancing in the Context of COVID-19

Last registered on May 04, 2022
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
The Role of Heuristics and Perception in Influencing Individuals' Demand for Social Distancing in the Context of COVID-19
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0005817
Initial registration date
May 07, 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
May 07, 2020, 11:09 AM EDT

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

Last updated
May 04, 2022, 11:30 PM EDT

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

Locations

Country
United States of America
Region
New York City Area, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Connecticut, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Florida

Primary Investigator

Name
Plamen Nikolov
Affiliation
State University of New York (Binghamton) & Harvard University
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

Additional Trial Information

Status
Completed
Start date
2020-04-15
End date
2021-08-31
Keywords
Education, Health, Other
Additional Keywords
COVID-19, behavioral economics, heuristics, inter-temporal decisions, perception of risk, risk, randomized online field experiment, New York, health investments, social distancing
JEL code(s)
D90, D91, C93, I12, I1, D15, D62, D64, D81, I18
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial is based on or builds upon one or more prior RCTs.
Abstract
We examine the economic determinants for social distancing in the context of COVID-19. Previous economics studies document the important role behavioral biases could play in inter-temporal decision-making. Viewing health in an inter-temporal framework, individuals make health investment decisions in the present to maximize their lifetime utility. Behavioral biases, however, could influence the optimal demand for
preventive healthcare and in particular their demand for social distancing. Using an online field experiment, we examine the extent to which various behavioral biases influence individual demand for social distancing.
External Link(s)
Nikolov's Economics Research Lab

Registration Citation

Citation
Nikolov, Plamen. 2022. "The Role of Heuristics and Perception in Influencing Individuals' Demand for Social Distancing in the Context of COVID-19." AEA RCT Registry. May 04. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.5817-1.2
Sponsors & Partners

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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2020-04-15
Intervention End Date
2021-08-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
demand for social distancing, risk preferences, time preferences, social preferences
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We randomize educational and mental health-related messaging
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Stratified computer randomization
Randomization Unit
Individual
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
1200 individuals
Sample size: planned number of observations
1200 individuals
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
1200 individuals
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Binghamton University
IRB Approval Date
20120-04-17
IRB Approval Number
STUDY00002341
Analysis Plan

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