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Social Media and the Formation of Policy Preferences: Experimental Evidence in the times of COVID-19

Last registered on November 16, 2020
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Social Media and the Formation of Policy Preferences: Experimental Evidence in the times of COVID-19
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0006254
Initial registration date
July 31, 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
August 03, 2020, 12:32 PM EDT

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

Last updated
November 16, 2020, 8:01 AM EST

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

Locations

Country
United States of America
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Margaret Samahita
Affiliation
University College Dublin
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Laura Taylor
PI Affiliation
University College Dublin
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Andrea Gallice
PI Affiliation
Collegio Carlo Alberto
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Pierluigi Conzo
PI Affiliation
University of Turin
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Juan Morales
PI Affiliation
Collegio Carlo Alberto
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
Completed
Start date
2020-07-31
End date
2020-08-17
Keywords
Health, Other
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Abstract
This project studies the effect of social media on individuals' policy preferences. We study perceived endorsements, a central feature of social media, as evinced by common metrics of engagement: likes and retweets. Can the perceived engagement of social media messages affect how we evaluate policy choices? To answer this question, we will conduct an online controlled experiment with human subjects in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic policy trade-off.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Conzo, Pierluigi et al. 2020. "Social Media and the Formation of Policy Preferences: Experimental Evidence in the times of COVID-19." AEA RCT Registry. November 16. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.6254-4.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2020-07-31
Intervention End Date
2020-08-07

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
See pdf
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
See pdf
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
See pdf
Randomization Unit
See pdf
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
1500
Sample size: planned number of observations
1500
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
250 in each of the 6 treatment arms
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
University College Dublin
IRB Approval Date
2020-07-29
IRB Approval Number
HS-E-20-134-Samahita
Analysis Plan

Analysis Plan Documents

Pre-Analysis Plan

MD5: c4531a7ca80698b5d4d06ba926be7512

SHA1: 0c12550ce86f31b358b589cb27d28140e1a2d91c

Uploaded At: July 31, 2020

Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

There is information in this trial unavailable to the public. Use the button below to request access.

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
Yes
Intervention Completion Date
August 17, 2020, 12:00 +00:00
Data Collection Complete
Yes
Data Collection Completion Date
August 17, 2020, 12:00 +00:00
Final Sample Size: Number of Clusters (Unit of Randomization)
Was attrition correlated with treatment status?
Final Sample Size: Total Number of Observations
Final Sample Size (or Number of Clusters) by Treatment Arms
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials

Description
Supplementary Materials US
Citation
Conzo, Pierluigi et al. 2020. "Social Media and the Formation of Policy Preferences: Experimental Evidence in the times of COVID-19." AEA RCT Registry. November 16. 2020. "Registration Entry Title: Supplementary Materials US." AEA RCT Registry. November 16 https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.6254-4.0
File
suppl_mat_us.pdf

MD5: 8c45a277eb2f539addd5ceb10df0079e

SHA1: 862c626767af9b0ac6277d37e4a9e387c8741e3b

Uploaded At: November 16, 2020

Description
Supplementary Materials EU
Citation
Conzo, Pierluigi et al. 2020. "Social Media and the Formation of Policy Preferences: Experimental Evidence in the times of COVID-19." AEA RCT Registry. November 16. 2020. "Registration Entry Title: Supplementary Materials EU." AEA RCT Registry. November 16 https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.6254-4.0
File
suppl_mat_eu.pdf

MD5: a3f41dcd590c9a56ee83766a374728dd

SHA1: d30d4b0f19e629c821b4a5dcda4923669cadeeb4

Uploaded At: November 16, 2020