Future time makers within a language and pro-environmental behavior

Last registered on August 31, 2023
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Future time makers within a language and pro-environmental behavior
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0008477
Initial registration date
November 01, 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 05, 2021, 1:26 PM EDT

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

Last updated
August 31, 2023, 8:15 AM EDT

Last updated is the most recent time when changes to the trial's registration were published.

Locations

Country
Austria
Region
Country
Switzerland
Region
Country
Germany
Region
Country
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Andrea Essl
Affiliation
University of Bern
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Frauke von Bieberstein
PI Affiliation
University of Bern
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Manuel Suter
PI Affiliation
University of Bern
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
Completed
Start date
2021-01-07
End date
2023-01-31
Keywords
Behavior, Environment & Energy
Additional Keywords
Language, pro-environmental behavior, future tense, online experiment
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
Strong future-time reference (=strong-FTR) languages (e.g. English) require a dedicated marking of the future (e.g. in English with “will” or “going to”), while weak future-time reference (=weak-FTR) languages (e.g. German) do not require to mark the future. Previous research suggests that strong-FTR languages make the future feel more distant than the present, implying that more short-term-oriented behavior occurs in areas such as saving and health. The aim of this research project is to examine the causal effect of the linguistic structure on individual pro-environmental behavior (PEB) within a weak-FTR language (German). More specifically, we will take advantage of the German language in which speakers can freely choose whether or not to use the future tense when talking about future events. In a between-subject online experiment, we will manipulate the use of future time referencing (weak-FTR vs. strong-FTR, respectively present tense vs. future tense marking) in order to examine its effect on pro-environmental behavior. We will elicit subjects’ pro-environmental behavior using a new incentivized decision task in which individuals can decide whether to invest money to plant trees or keep it for themselves.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Essl, Andrea, Manuel Suter and Frauke von Bieberstein. 2023. "Future time makers within a language and pro-environmental behavior." AEA RCT Registry. August 31. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.8477-1.3
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
In a between-subject online experiment, we will manipulate the use of future time referencing in German language (weak-FTR vs. strong-FTR, respectively present tense vs. future tense marking) in order to examine its effect on pro-environmental behavior. We will elicit subjects’ pro-environmental behavior using a new incentivized decision task in which individuals can decide whether to invest money to plant trees or keep it for themselves. The linguistic manipulation is embedded into the descriptions of the task and the presentations of the different pro-environmental investment options. In the weak-FTR treatment, subjects receive a German description of the environmental decision task in present tense, with no future time references used, i.e., all future events are described in the present tense. In the strong-FTR treatment, the environmental decision task is also described in German, but with future markers (“wird/werden” + verb) to refer to future events and to describe the impact of decisions on the environment.
Intervention (Hidden)
In a between-subject online experiment, we will manipulate the use of future time referencing (weak-FTR vs. strong-FTR, respectively present tense vs. future tense marking) in the description of an incentivized, pro-environmental decision task among German people. In the pro-environmental decision task, participants can decide between keeping money or investing money to plant trees. Thus, this task consists of a decision tradeoff between own financial and environmental rewards. In the weak-FTR treatment, subjects receive a German description of the environmental decision task in present tense, with no future time references used, i.e., all future events are described in the present tense. In the strong-FTR treatment, the environmental decision task is also described in German, but with future markers (“wird/werden” + verb) to refer to future events and to describe the impact of decisions on the environment. After the incentivized decision task, participants will complete a series of self-report scales on pro-environmental intentions, beliefs in climate change, pro-environmental attitudes, and answer questins on demographics, culture, and language use.
We hypothesize that individuals (in particular with pro-environmental attitudes) behave more pro-environmentally friendly in the weak-FTR treatment than in the strong-FTR treatment.
Intervention Start Date
2021-11-07
Intervention End Date
2022-03-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Pro-environmental behavior measured by the amount of money invested to plant trees for compensating CO2 emmisions
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Pro-environmental behavioral intentions using a self-report Likert-type scale
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
In a between-subject online experiment, we will manipulate the use of future time referencing (weak-FTR vs. strong-FTR, respectively present tense vs. future tense marking) in the description of an incentivized, pro-environmental decision task among German people. In the pro-environmental decision task, participants can decide between keeping money or investing money to plant trees. Thus, this task consists of a decision tradeoff between own financial and environmental rewards. In the weak-FTR treatment, subjects receive a German description of the environmental decision task in present tense, with no future time references used, i.e., all future events are described in the present tense. In the strong-FTR treatment, the environmental decision task is also described in German, but with future markers (“wird/werden” + verb) to refer to future events and to describe the impact of decisions on the environment. After the incentivized decision task, participants will complete a series of self-report scales on pro-environmental intentions, beliefs in climate change, pro-environmental attitudes, and answer questins on demographics, culture, and language use.
We hypothesize that individuals (in particular with pro-environmental attitudes) behave more pro-environmentally friendly in the weak-FTR treatment than in the strong-FTR treatment.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Computer (online experiment)
Randomization Unit
Individual
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
The number of participants planned for the experiment is 824 people completing the study. We advertise for a minimum of 900 participants to take into account individuals excluded due to the restrictions mentioned in the analysis plan.
Sample size: planned number of observations
The number of participants planned for the experiment is 824 people completing the study. We advertise for a minimum of 900 participants to take into account individuals excluded due to the restrictions mentioned in the analysis plan.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
About 450 participants per treatment (about 412 participants per treatment after excluding participants as described above)
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Based on a two-sided Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test, an error probability of 0.05, and a power of 0.80, we require about 412 participants per treatment to detect an effect of Cohen’s d of 0.2.
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Business Administration, Economics and Social Sciences of the University of Bern
IRB Approval Date
2021-10-27
IRB Approval Number
222021
Analysis Plan

Analysis Plan Documents

Analysis Plan

MD5: 22b9abb15497b0f88d88d3706b924390

SHA1: 72e71025226b57448da104d0e83fb1f48ea97db8

Uploaded At: November 01, 2021

Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
Yes
Intervention Completion Date
March 30, 2022, 12:00 +00:00
Data Collection Complete
Yes
Data Collection Completion Date
November 26, 2021, 12:00 +00:00
Final Sample Size: Number of Clusters (Unit of Randomization)
781 (main sample)
Was attrition correlated with treatment status?
No
Final Sample Size: Total Number of Observations
781 (main sample)
Final Sample Size (or Number of Clusters) by Treatment Arms
FUTURE 383; PRESENT treatment =398
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
Yes
Public Data URL
https://osf.io/49dzu/?view_only=8fa11e500cbd4de68385d7fcb0196260

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Program Files

Program Files
Yes
Program Files URL
https://osf.io/49dzu/?view_only=8fa11e500cbd4de68385d7fcb0196260
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials