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The effect of information provision on support for saving more lives
Last registered on October 26, 2020
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information
General Information
Title
The effect of information provision on support for saving more lives
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0006370
Initial registration date
October 22, 2020
Last updated
October 26, 2020 8:17 AM EDT
Location(s)

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Primary Investigator
Name
Liang Choon Wang
Affiliation
Monash University
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Other Primary Investigator(s)
PI Name
Birendra Rai
PI Affiliation
Monash University
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Additional Trial Information
Status
In development
Start date
2020-10-22
End date
2020-12-15
Keywords
Behavior, Health
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Abstract
Public health strategies to deal with pandemics, including Covid-19, are primarily guided by the principle of saving more lives. Public opposition towards the recommendations and directives of health authorities suggests that a sizeable fraction of the population may not subscribe to the same principle. Using a randomized controlled experiment, we examine whether providing information about the ethical considerations that guide public health strategies affects the individual preferences for saving more lives, and the likelihood of social agreement on this principle.
External Link(s)
Registration Citation
Citation
Rai, Birendra and Liang Choon Wang. 2020. "The effect of information provision on support for saving more lives." AEA RCT Registry. October 26. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.6370-1.0.
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details
Interventions
Intervention(s)
Participants are provided with information related to the prioritization criteria and ethical considerations used by public health authorities in the allocation of scarce life-saving medical treatments.
Intervention Start Date
2020-10-22
Intervention End Date
2020-12-15
Primary Outcomes
Primary Outcomes (end points)
The primary outcome variables are:
1. A binary variable (Save lives) indicating whether or not a participant’s choice of the patients to receive ventilators in a scenario is consistent with the principle of saving more lives (see Table 4 in the analysis plan). This save lives variable can be decomposed into two subgroups according to the definition of saving more healthy-lives (see Table 5 in the analysis plan).
2. A binary variable (Save life-years) indicating whether or not a participant’s choice of the patients to receive ventilators in a scenario is consistent with saving more life-years (see Table 4 in the analysis plan).
3. A binary variable indicating whether or not a participant’s choice of the patients to receive the available ventilators in a scenario is inconsistent with both saving more lives and saving more life-years.

The three measures above are mutually exclusive. There are two stages and five scenarios in each stage that a participant makes choices.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
Secondary Outcomes
Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)
Experimental Design
Experimental Design
The research involves a randomized controlled choice experiment. The experiment contains several stages and these stages differ slightly between the treatment group and control group.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization based on Qualtrics randomizer that ensures treatment and control are evenly present.
Randomization Unit
Individual participant
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes
Experiment Characteristics
Sample size: planned number of clusters
600 individuals (participants)
Sample size: planned number of observations
6000 observations (600 participants x 5 scenarios x 2 stages)
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
3000 observations per treatment arm (300 participants, 5 scenarios and 2 stages per arm).
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB
INSTITUTIONAL REVIEW BOARDS (IRBs)
IRB Name
Monash University Human Research Ethics Committee
IRB Approval Date
2020-07-31
IRB Approval Number
25547
Analysis Plan

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