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Do leading images affect public opinion?

Last registered on April 17, 2023
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Do leading images affect public opinion?
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0007904
Initial registration date
June 30, 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
July 01, 2021, 8:30 PM EDT

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

Last updated
April 17, 2023, 12:16 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
Giulia Caprini
Affiliation
European University Institute
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

Additional Trial Information

Status
Completed
Start date
2021-06-30
End date
2021-07-31
Keywords
Behavior
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
D91
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
I experimentally study the impact of leading images on public opinion.
(For details: see attached pre-analysis plan)
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Caprini, Giulia. 2023. "Do leading images affect public opinion?." AEA RCT Registry. April 17. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.7904-2.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention (Hidden)
I perform an online survey experiment, whereby I randomly expose individuals to news pieces with different leading images. I test the effect of leading images on opinion, and explore the effect in a number of dimensions (as indicated in attached pre-analysis plan).
Intervention Start Date
2021-06-30
Intervention End Date
2021-07-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Readers' opinion change after and before exposure to the news.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
I conduct a survey experiment on a representative sample of the US population between 18 and 65 years of age (sampling outsourced to a third party panelist). I randomly expose individuals to news featuring different leading images, to assess the impact of images on opinion.
Experimental Design Details
I conduct a survey experiment on a representative sample of the US population between 18 and 65 years of age (sampling outsourced to a third party panelist). I randomly expose individuals to news featuring different leading images, to assess the impact of images on opinion. Image characteristics are determined through a previous large-scale study of visual bias in US media coverage.
Randomization Method
Randomization performed via computer.
Randomization Unit
Individual respondent
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
No clusters.
Sample size: planned number of observations
2'000 respondents.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
No clusters.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
EUI Ethic Committee
IRB Approval Date
2021-02-22
IRB Approval Number
N/A
Analysis Plan

Analysis Plan Documents

VisualBias_experiment_PP

MD5: fcc90c69ab759914339c492df642b1a3

SHA1: 396c96a77908aaa87f1ae3f008c2b011e5fa5ae2

Uploaded At: April 17, 2023

Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
No
Data Collection Complete
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials