Emotion, Information, and Attitudes towards Immigration

Last registered on December 31, 2022
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Emotion, Information, and Attitudes towards Immigration
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0009194
Initial registration date
June 08, 2022

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
June 15, 2022, 10:05 AM EDT

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

Last updated
December 31, 2022, 2:38 PM EST

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

Locations

Country
United States of America
Region
Omaha, NE

Primary Investigator

Name
Milena Djourelova
Affiliation
University of Chicago
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Leonardo Bursztyn
PI Affiliation
University of Chicago
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Marianne Andries
PI Affiliation
University of Southern California
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Thomas Chaney
PI Affiliation
University of Southern California
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2022-06-04
End date
2023-06-30
Keywords
Behavior
Additional Keywords
Emotions, art, information, immigration
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
We study how emotions induced by an immersive artistic experience affect information retention and attitudes towards immigration.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Andries, Marianne et al. 2022. "Emotion, Information, and Attitudes towards Immigration." AEA RCT Registry. December 31. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.9194-1.1
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
We randomly expose subjects to an immersive, artistic, virtual reality experience on unauthorized migrants.
Intervention Start Date
2022-06-04
Intervention End Date
2022-08-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Ability to retain information about immigration.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
Subjects are presented a series of charts containing information about immigration to the US, immigrants in the US, and the origin countries of immigrants. They are then quizzed about those facts.

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Attitudes towards immigration: views about immigration policies, charitable donations.
We measure attitudes both in the short run (on site), and in the longer run (2 to 3 weeks later).
Emotional response to the virtual reality experience. This is only measured on site.
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We randomly assign subjects to an immersive and artistic virtual reality experience.
Experimental Design Details
We collect demographic information on all subjects.
Subjects are then randomly assigned to one of 6 groups, where we randomize the order in which subjects are exposed to the immersive and artistic virtual reality experience, receive neutral information about immigration, are quizzed about the information they have received, are asked about their attitudes towards immigration both on site and in a follow up questionnaire 2 to 3 weeks later, and are asked about their emotional response to this immersive experience.

Group 1:
On site: measure of attitudes first; then information; then VR experience; then measure of emotions
Follow up: measure of attitudes

Group 2:
On site: VR experience; then measure of attitudes; then measure of emotions
Follow up: then measure of attitudes

Group 3:
On site: information; then measure of attitudes; then VR experience; then measure of emotions
Follow up: then measure of attitudes

Group 4:
On site: VR experience; then information; then measure of attitudes; then measure of emotions
Follow up: measure of attitude

Group 5:
On site: information; then VR experience; then measure of attitudes; then measure of emotions
Follow up: measure of attitude

Group 6:
On site: VR experience; then measure of emotions
Follow up: measure of attitude
Randomization Method
Randomization through Qualtrics.
Randomization Unit
Individual
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
NA
Sample size: planned number of observations
We aim to recruit over a thousand subjects. As the art installation in Omaha runs only through end of August, 2022, we will recruit as many subjects as possible until the exhibit is over.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
We hope to reach 200 subjects per treatment arm (6 treatment arms).

Importantly, we have run a pilot with the same art installation in Dallas, Texas, in April 2022. The goal was to test the design and logistical implementation. The design is nearly identical to the one to be used in the next data collection in Omaha, Nebraska. We will show the results dropping the observations from the pilot. As a robustness check, we will pool the observations from both samples.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
NA
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
The University of Chicago Social and Behavioral Sciences Institutional Review Board
IRB Approval Date
2022-04-07
IRB Approval Number
IRB22-0551
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