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Perceived Relative Income and Revealed Preferences for Clean Air

Last registered on September 15, 2022
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Perceived Relative Income and Revealed Preferences for Clean Air
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0009441
Initial registration date
May 13, 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
May 16, 2022, 5:20 PM EDT

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

Last updated
September 15, 2022, 5:13 AM EDT

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

Locations

Country
India
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Anca Balietti
Affiliation
Heidelberg University
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Angelika Budjan
PI Affiliation
University of Stuttgart
PI Name
Tillmann Eymess
PI Affiliation
Heidelberg University

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2022-05-13
End date
2022-12-31
Keywords
Environment & Energy
Additional Keywords
Perceived relative income; Inequality aversion; Air pollution; Public Goods; Voluntary contributions;
JEL code(s)
D31, H31, I14, Q53
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
Across the globe, people tend to misperceive their true position in the income distribution. Theory predicts that a correction of this misperception leads to an increase in the demand for redistribution among the richer half of the population if people are averse to inequality. We test whether correcting perceived relative income has a significant and positive effect on the demand for environmental public goods, such as clean air. We test this hypothesis empirically with an online survey experiment with 2,500 Indian MTurkers and an additional 2,500 Indian respondents recruited by Dynata.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Balietti, Anca, Angelika Budjan and Tillmann Eymess. 2022. "Perceived Relative Income and Revealed Preferences for Clean Air ." AEA RCT Registry. September 15. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.9441-1.2
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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
We design an online survey experiment including (a) a survey questionnaire, (b) comprehensive information about air pollution in general and personalized information about the average PM2.5 level and the associated health effects for the participants' state of residence, and (c) the collection of outcome variables.

We collect several outcomes of interest. In particular, we offer the chance to contribute part of the remuneration for participation to one of several non-governmental organizations (NGO) leading air pollution reduction initiatives across India. The study is complemented by the elicitation of (i) stated support for public policies, (ii) intended adoption of private protective measures against PM2.5 exposure, as well as (iii) redistributive and environmental preferences.
Intervention (Hidden)
Intervention Start Date
2022-05-13
Intervention End Date
2022-12-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
1. Perceived relative household income
2. Contribution to pro-environmental NGO
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
1. Stated support for public policies
2. Stated adoption of defensive mechanisms
3. Perception of own health impact due to air pollution exposure
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
As our main focus, we aim to manipulate the perceived relative income to test for a relationship between perceived relative income and revealed preferences for environmental quality.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Participants are randomly assigned to one of our five treatment groups following a Latin square design.
Randomization Unit
Individual participant
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
NA
Sample size: planned number of observations
2500 individuals
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
500 individuals per treatment arm
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Ethics Committee of the University of Göttingen
IRB Approval Date
2022-04-21
IRB Approval Number
NA
Analysis Plan

Analysis Plan Documents

Amendment for the pre-analysis plan - 15.09.2022

MD5: 2bb26f2ff1469b8afa5ea02be50a04fe

SHA1: f7a049d76d451d261c3a39fdf5f8819f9f449092

Uploaded At: September 15, 2022

PAP.pdf

MD5: f4eb17959d98c66b6e2d836eec6c1236

SHA1: 35c0bb5fb9f3319adba51c916e999979f77d6ec0

Uploaded At: May 13, 2022

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