Preferences Toward Tenants and Beliefs about Eviction

Last registered on November 20, 2021

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Preferences Toward Tenants and Beliefs about Eviction
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0008436
Initial registration date
November 10, 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
November 20, 2021, 12:30 PM EST

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

Locations

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Primary Investigator

Affiliation
MIT

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Affiliation

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2021-11-11
End date
2024-12-31
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
In AEA #AEARCTR-0008053, we describe a survey experiment conducted with landlords in Memphis, TN. To complement that study, we collect baseline measures of altruism (using our modified dictator game) and beliefs about evictions from two external samples: (i) a sample of people in Memphis, TN, and (ii) a nationally representative sample. We intend to compare behavior in the external sample to the behavior in the landlord sample.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Rafkin, Charlie and Evan Soltas. 2021. "Preferences Toward Tenants and Beliefs about Eviction." AEA RCT Registry. November 20. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.8436-1.0
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Some aspects of survey design are randomized, including ordering of the opponent in altruism game.
Intervention Start Date
2021-11-11
Intervention End Date
2021-12-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
(1) Measures of altruism/vindictiveness (both samples).
(2) Beliefs about the eviction process (Memphis sample only).

The key outcome comparisons are both the raw values of (1) and (2), as well as the comparisons of the raw values of (1) and (2) to the measures among the Memphis/Shelby County landlords in #AEARCTR-0008053.

In the future, we may conduct tenant samples. In that case, we would then use the data from the external samples to compare to the tenants as well.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
In #AEARCTR-0008053, we implement a modified dictator game and elicit beliefs about the eviction process and the likelihood of recouping money from a money judgment (among other activities). We replicate the modified dictator game and elicit beliefs about the eviction process. See experimental design for explanation of how we implement the dictator game and more details about the precise outcomes.

We only estimate beliefs about the eviction process in Memphis among the Memphis sample.

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Heterogeneity by:
Whether the participant is a landlord/property manager
Whether the participant rents vs. owns her primary home
Whether the participant has ever been evicted
Income
Political party
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)
We ask participants whether they are landlords/property managers, rent vs. own, and whether they have been evicted. Behavior in an altruism task where the opponent is a landlord or tenant may differ depending on these characteristics. Similarly, knowledge about the eviction process for the beliefs experiment may depend on these characteristics.

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Surveys fielded by Lucid, a survey research company. Precise design of the altruism task and beliefs about the eviction process embargoed but in the experimental design.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Some aspects of the design are randomized (e.g., the survey order, to reduce anchoring) in Qualtrics.
Randomization Unit
Individual.
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
Memphis sample: 500 individuals
General population sample: 1000 individuals
Sample size: planned number of observations
Memphis sample: 500 individuals General population sample: 1000 individuals
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
The probability that the first opponent is a landlord is 0.5. The probability that the first opponent is a tenant is 0.5.

Therefore in the Memphis sample:
- In altruism game, first opponent is tenant: ~250 individuals
- In altruism game, first opponent is landlord: ~250 individuals

Whereas in the general population sample:
- In altruism game, first opponent is tenant: ~500 individuals
- In altruism game, first opponent is landlord: ~500 individuals

Numbers are approximate because randomization occurs at the beginning of the altruism task, and some participants will not complete the survey.

Similarly, across each altruism elicitation, the choice of the even split of the gift card is observed first in the multiple price list with probability = 0.5. For instance, in the game in which the opponent is a tenant, the participant observes an even split of the gift card first in the multiple price list with probability = 0.5; similarly, in the game in which the opponent is a landlord, the participant observes an even split of the gift card first in the multiple price list with probability = 0.5. This will yield identical approximate sample sizes as above, for each of these sub-treatments.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Committee on the Use of Humans as Experimental Subjects
IRB Approval Date
2021-03-17
IRB Approval Number
2102000316