Working Paper: NBER ID: w30880
Authors: Deniz Dutz; Michael Greenstone; Ali Hortasu; Santiago Lacouture; Magne Mogstad; Azeem M. Shaikh; Alexander Torgovitsky; Winnie Van Dijk
Abstract: We examine why minority and poor households are often underrepresented in studies that require active participation. Using data from a serological study with randomized participation incentives, we find large participation gaps by race and income when incentives are low, but not when incentives are high. We develop a framework for using randomized incentives to disentangle the roles of hesitancy and non-contact in driving the participation gaps, and find that hesitancy is the predominant factor. Hesitancy rates strongly correlate with hospitalization rates and COVID-19 risk, suggesting that individuals facing higher health risks may be underrepresented in studies with low incentives.
Keywords: COVID-19; Antibody Study; Participation Rates; Hesitancy; Randomized Incentives
JEL Codes: C40; C42; C83; I1; I14; I30; O31
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| financial compensation (M52) | participation rates (J22) |
| hesitancy (D80) | participation gaps (I24) |
| higher incentives (M52) | increased participation (I24) |
| hesitancy (D80) | trust in healthcare (I11) |
| hesitancy (D80) | privacy concerns (K24) |
| noncontact (Y70) | participation gaps (I24) |