Testing for Discrimination in the UK Rental Market

Last registered on October 25, 2021
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Testing for Discrimination in the UK Rental Market
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0008426
Initial registration date
October 22, 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
October 25, 2021, 11:27 AM EDT

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

Locations

Country
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Region
England

Primary Investigator

Name
Martin Foureaux Koppensteiner
Affiliation
University of Surrey
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Nikiktha Rohith
PI Affiliation
Coventry University
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Tania Oliveria
PI Affiliation
University of Leicester
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Additional Trial Information

Status
Completed
Start date
2017-02-01
End date
2017-06-30
Keywords
Other
Additional Keywords
Housing
JEL code(s)
J15, K37, R30
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
In this study we systematically test for discrimination in the UK rental mark in an experimental setting. Contrary to previous experimental studies, we designed a randomized controlled trial closer to real interactions between prospective tenants and rental agents. In this experiment we made inquiries by phone, where we allocated callers with different foreign accents randomly across standardized one-bedroom properties.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Foureaux Koppensteiner, Martin, Tania Oliveria and Nikiktha Rohith. 2021. "Testing for Discrimination in the UK Rental Market." AEA RCT Registry. October 25. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.8426-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2017-02-01
Intervention End Date
2017-06-30

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Confirmedf viewing of properties.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We used an automated procedure to create a daily pool of one bedroom properties in London from a leading online property portal. From this pool of standardized properties, we randomly allocated properties to our callers on a daily basis, where we randomized their shifts during the day. Over the trial period, 10,977 one bedroomproperties were advertised in London entering the subject pool. From this pool, we randomly chose 1,065 properties and made 1,472 calls.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Automated computerized randomization from daily property pool.
Randomization Unit
Individual.
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
2
Sample size: planned number of observations
1065
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
50:50
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
University of Leicester Research Ethics Committee
IRB Approval Date
Details not available
IRB Approval Number
Details not available
Analysis Plan

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