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Does information about the disproportionate burden of COVID-19 on blacks and whites affect views of policy proposals?

Last registered on July 09, 2021
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Does information about the disproportionate burden of COVID-19 on blacks and whites affect views of policy proposals?
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0007458
Initial registration date
April 01, 2021

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 06, 2021, 6:22 AM EDT

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

Last updated
July 09, 2021, 10:40 AM EDT

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
Omer Ali
Affiliation
Duke University
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Wiliam Darity
PI Affiliation
Duke University
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PI Name
Pablo Beramendi
PI Affiliation
Duke University
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PI Name
Monica Garcia-Perez
PI Affiliation
St. Cloud State University
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PI Name
Sharrelle Barber
PI Affiliation
Drexel University
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Additional Trial Information

Status
Completed
Start date
2021-03-12
End date
2021-04-05
Keywords
Education, Other
Additional Keywords
Political economy, racial attitudes, public opinion
JEL code(s)
H890, I390, J150
Secondary IDs
Abstract
In this survey experiment, we expose one third of respondents to information about COVID-19 cases and deaths in four states where a disproportionate share falls on whites; one third of respondents view similar information collected from four states where a disproportionate share of cases and deaths fall on black residents. The remaining share of respondents constitute the control group and they see information that is not disaggregated by race. All respondents are subsequently asked about their views on 12 policy proposals that include redistributive policies (on wealth taxes, income taxes, unemployment benefits), public health measures (whether to reopen businesses), support for small businesses and large corporations, and vaccine priority. The research question we seek to answer in this experiment is whether respondents differ significantly in their responses to these policy proposals based on the information they receive about the burden of COVID-19 cases and deaths.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Ali, Omer et al. 2021. "Does information about the disproportionate burden of COVID-19 on blacks and whites affect views of policy proposals?." AEA RCT Registry. July 09. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.7458-2.1
Sponsors & Partners

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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
In this survey experiment, we expose one third of respondents to information about COVID-19 cases and deaths in four states where a disproportionate share falls on whites; one third of respondents view similar information collected from four states where a disproportionate share of cases and deaths fall on black residents. The remaining share of respondents constitute the control group and they see information that is not disaggregated by race. All respondents are subsequently asked about their views on 12 policy proposals that include redistributive policies (on wealth taxes, income taxes, unemployment benefits), public health measures (whether to reopen businesses), support for small businesses and large corporations, and vaccine priority. The research question we seek to answer in this experiment is whether respondents differ significantly in their responses to these policy proposals based on the information they receive about the burden of COVID-19 cases and deaths.
Intervention Start Date
2021-03-12
Intervention End Date
2021-04-05

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Agreement with each of 12 policy proposals.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
For each policy proposal, an agreement variable will be constructed by grouping "strongly agree" with "somewhat agree".

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Disagreement with each of 12 policy proposals.
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)
A disagree variable will be constructed by grouping "strongly disagree" and "somewhat disagree".

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
In an online survey, we expose one third of respondents to information about COVID-19 cases and deaths in four states where a disproportionate share falls on white residents; one third of respondents view similar information collected from four states where a disproportionate share of cases and deaths fall on black residents. The remaining share of respondents constitute the control group and they see information that is not disaggregated by race. All respondents are subsequently asked about their views on 12 policy proposals that include redistributive policies (on wealth taxes, income taxes, unemployment benefits), public health measures (whether to reopen businesses), support for small businesses and large corporations, and vaccine priority.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Randomization is done by a computer.
Randomization Unit
Individual
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
N/A
Sample size: planned number of observations
1800 individuals
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
Roughly 600
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials

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IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Duke University IRB
IRB Approval Date
2020-10-06
IRB Approval Number
2021-0001
Analysis Plan

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Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
Yes
Intervention Completion Date
April 05, 2021, 12:00 +00:00
Data Collection Complete
Yes
Data Collection Completion Date
April 05, 2021, 12:00 +00:00
Final Sample Size: Number of Clusters (Unit of Randomization)
3 groups
Was attrition correlated with treatment status?
No
Final Sample Size: Total Number of Observations
1862 respondents
Final Sample Size (or Number of Clusters) by Treatment Arms
Random message 1 - "disproportionately affects whites": 617 respondents Random message 2 - "disproportionately affects black communities": 625 respondents Random message 3 - control: 620 respondents
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