Excuses and Social Image (Part 3: Persuasiveness of Justifications)

Last registered on November 28, 2021
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Excuses and Social Image (Part 3: Persuasiveness of Justifications)
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0008624
Initial registration date
November 24, 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 28, 2021, 6:36 PM EST

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
Aakaash Rao
Affiliation
Harvard University
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Christopher Roth
PI Affiliation
University of Cologne
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Ingar Haaland
PI Affiliation
University of Bergen
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PI Name
Leonardo Bursztyn
PI Affiliation
University of Chicago
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Additional Trial Information

Status
Completed
Start date
2021-11-25
End date
2021-11-28
Keywords
Crime, Violence, & Conflict, Electoral, Labor
Additional Keywords
social image, culture, political economy, inference
JEL code(s)
D91, D64, D83
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
This auxiliary experiment extends our previous experiments, pre-registered in AEARCTR-0005308 and AEARCTR-0005462. This experiment aims to show that the "justifications" considered in our previous experiments are persuasive: that is, that respondents exposed to them change their behavior in the expected direction.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Bursztyn, Leonardo et al. 2021. "Excuses and Social Image (Part 3: Persuasiveness of Justifications)." AEA RCT Registry. November 28. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.8624-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
This auxiliary experiment extends our previous experiments, pre-registered in AEARCTR-0005308 and AEARCTR-0005462. This experiment aims to show that the "justifications" considered in our previous experiments are persuasive: that is, that respondents exposed to them change their behavior in the expected direction.

The intervention is a standard information provision experiment. Control respondents are not exposed to information about a political topic; treated respondents are exposed to this information. All respondents are then asked to indicate their support for the position.

We conduct the experiment in two contexts. Conservative respondents watch a video featuring Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson discussing the link between illegal immigration and crime, then indicate their support for immediately deporting all illegal Mexican immigrants. Liberal respondents read an article discussing the likely adverse effects of defunding the police, then indicate their support for defunding the police.
Intervention Start Date
2021-11-25
Intervention End Date
2021-11-28

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Likert scale: support for the political position in question
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
This auxiliary experiment extends our previous experiments, pre-registered in AEARCTR-0005308 and AEARCTR-0005462. This experiment aims to show that the "justifications" considered in our previous experiments are persuasive: that is, that respondents exposed to them change their behavior in the expected direction.

The intervention is a standard information provision experiment. Control respondents are not exposed to information about a political topic; treated respondents are exposed to this information. All respondents are then asked to indicate their support for the position.

We conduct the experiment in two contexts. Conservative respondents watch a video featuring Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson discussing the link between illegal immigration and crime, then indicate their support for immediately deporting all illegal Mexican immigrants. Liberal respondents read an article discussing the likely adverse effects of defunding the police, then indicate their support for defunding the police.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Randomization done by Qualtrics
Randomization Unit
Individual
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
2000: 1000 per context (500 treatment, 500 control)
Sample size: planned number of observations
2000: 1000 per context (500 treatment, 500 control)
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
2000: 1000 per context (500 treatment, 500 control)
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 Chicago Social and Behavioral Sciences IRB
IRB Approval Date
2019-11-28
IRB Approval Number
IRB19-1320
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