Do Perceptions of Public Good Quality Affect Support? Evidence from Higher Education Appropriations

Last registered on April 24, 2022
View Trial History

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Do Perceptions of Public Good Quality Affect Support? Evidence from Higher Education Appropriations
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0007619
Initial registration date
May 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
May 03, 2021, 12:26 PM EDT

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

Last updated
April 24, 2022, 2:08 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

Primary Investigator

Name
Andrew Simon
Affiliation
University of Chicago
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Michael Ricks
PI Affiliation
University of Michigan
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Reuben Hurst
PI Affiliation
University of Michigan
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
Completed
Start date
2021-05-03
End date
2021-05-31
Keywords
Education
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
We conduct a survey experiment to understand how beliefs regarding local public good quality affect support for public spending, using US state spending on higher education as a concrete example. Participants will be randomized into three groups. The first treatment group receives information about the graduation rate at public colleges in their state, a measure of the output quality. The second treatment group receives this same information as well as the state's graduation rate rank. The control group receives no information. We will measure the extent to which this information changes preferences for spending and other higher education policies. We will also examine how effect heterogeneity by political partisanship, attachment to the higher education system, and errors in beliefs.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Hurst, Reuben, Michael Ricks and Andrew Simon. 2022. "Do Perceptions of Public Good Quality Affect Support? Evidence from Higher Education Appropriations." AEA RCT Registry. April 24. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.7619-1.1
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Please see pre-analysis plan
Intervention Start Date
2021-05-03
Intervention End Date
2021-05-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Please see pre-analysis plan
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Please see pre-analysis plan
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Randomization done by a computer on Qualtrics
Randomization Unit
individual
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
About 3700
Sample size: planned number of observations
About 3700
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
About 1225 subjects in each of 3 group (control plus 2 treatments)
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials

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

Request Information
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
University of Michigan Institutional Review Boards
IRB Approval Date
2020-10-27
IRB Approval Number
HUM00189332
Analysis Plan

Analysis Plan Documents

PAP

MD5: f42ea567d5f465ca843c8e6ee4bf90e0

SHA1: 5aeed1e86cb62528b93a00c85482d1d4e617c60a

Uploaded At: May 01, 2021

Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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

Request Information

Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
Yes
Intervention Completion Date
May 31, 2021, 12:00 +00:00
Data Collection Complete
Yes
Data Collection Completion Date
May 31, 2021, 12:00 +00:00
Final Sample Size: Number of Clusters (Unit of Randomization)
4719
Was attrition correlated with treatment status?
No
Final Sample Size: Total Number of Observations
4719
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