Race and redistribution

Last registered on October 29, 2021
View Trial History

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Race and redistribution
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0008453
Initial registration date
October 27, 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 29, 2021, 1:47 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
Itzhak Rasooly
Affiliation
Sciences Po & Paris School of Economics
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Jesper Akesson
PI Affiliation
PI Name
Robert Hahn
PI Affiliation
PI Name
Robert Metcalfe
PI Affiliation

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2021-10-27
End date
2021-10-30
Keywords
Behavior, Governance
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
In this study, we examine whether beliefs about the share of welfare recipients who are black influence support for redistribution.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Akesson, Jesper et al. 2021. "Race and redistribution." AEA RCT Registry. October 29. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.8453-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
The full experimental instructions may be viewed here:
https://brown.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/preview/SV_82p6v9VOGaaTPFQ?Q_CHL=preview&Q_SurveyVersionID=current

To summarise the main features of the survey:
1. We begin by asking some standard demographic questions (e.g., age, gender, household income) along with a battery of questions aimed at measuring the extent to which the respondent exhibits ‘social desirability bias’.
2. Respondents are then randomised into one of three treatment groups:
a. The first treatment group receives a low estimate (8%) of the share of welfare recipients who are black. As respondents are informed in the survey, this estimate is based on a possibly unrepresentative sub-sample from a 2017 dataset. Both before and after the treatment, we elicit a) participants’ belief about the racial composition of welfare recipients b) participants’ support for welfare spending.
b. The second treatment group receives a high estimate (52%) of the share of welfare recipients who are black. Again, they are told that this estimate is based on a possibly unrepresentative subsample. Both before and after the treatment, we elicit a) participants’ belief about the racial composition of welfare recipients b) participants’ support for welfare spending.
c. The remaining third of participants go into a control group who receive no information. As before, we elicit beliefs about the racial composition of welfare recipients along with support for welfare. However, the order in which we do this is randomized (in order to check whether priming respondents to think about race changes their support for welfare).
3. We close the survey by asking respondents some questions about their views of welfare recipients, their own racial attitudes, as well as their beliefs about the attitudes of others.

The primary purpose of the survey is to examine whether beliefs about the share of welfare recipients who are black influences support for welfare. Accordingly, our main analysis will be an IV regression in which treatment assignment instruments for beliefs about the share of welfare recipients who are black. In our primary analysis, we will drop the control group since they may have been differentially primed to think about race.
Intervention Start Date
2021-10-27
Intervention End Date
2021-10-30

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Support for welfare spending
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
See the description above.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
In Qualtrics.
Randomization Unit
Individual level.
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
We are hoping for a sample of 10,000.
Sample size: planned number of observations
See above.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
1/3 of the 10,000 participants will be allocated to each of the 3 treatment groups.
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 Oxford
IRB Approval Date
2020-11-05
IRB Approval Number
SOGE1A2020-185
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