Survey uptake decisions with a transparent default

Last registered on May 25, 2021

View Trial History

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title

Survey uptake decisions with a transparent default

RCT ID

AEARCTR-0007715

Initial registration date

May 24, 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 25, 2021, 4:23 PM EDT

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

Locations

Country

United States of America

Region

Primary Investigator

Name

Michael Hand

Affiliation

U.S. General Services Administration

Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name

Mattie Toma

PI Affiliation

Harvard University

PI Name

Elizabeth Bell

PI Affiliation

Florida State University

Additional Trial Information

Status

In development

Start date

2021-05-24

End date

2021-09-01

Keywords

Behavior, Governance

Additional Keywords

JEL code(s)

D9, I38, D63, C9

Secondary IDs

Abstract

Default selections are effective at encouraging desired choices among respondents, but may restrict autonomy if respondents are unaware of the default selection or its purpose. Transparency when deploying default selections may be a solution. Evidence suggests that transparent defaults may increase the effectiveness of default selections by increasing the perception that the endorser is fair and trustworthy or providing justification for the preferred choice. This study will test whether presenting a transparent default choice increases survey respondent sign-up for future surveys. The goal of this study is to learn whether disclosing the purpose of a default selection affects the choice to be contacted for future surveys.

External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation

Bell, Elizabeth, Michael Hand and Mattie Toma. 2021. "Survey uptake decisions with a transparent default." AEA RCT Registry. May 25. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.7715-1.0

Sponsors & Partners

Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)

A survey question with a pre-selected response will include a transparency statement that describes why that response has been preselected.

Intervention Start Date

2021-05-24

Intervention End Date

2021-09-01

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)

Respondent selection of the "Yes" response (vs. selection of the "No" response).

Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)

Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Survey respondents will be randomly assigned to one of two treatment arms, a standard or transparent default choice.

Experimental Design Details

Randomization Method

Simple randomization will be conducted within the Qualtrics survey platform.

Randomization Unit

Individual

Was the treatment clustered?

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters

500

Sample size: planned number of observations

500

Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms

250 individuals control and 250 individuals treatment

Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)

With a sample size of N=500 respondents and a base rate of uptake of 0.5, the study can detect changes in uptake as small as 12.5 percentage points (with 80% power).

Supporting Documents and Materials

IRB