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A case study of an experiment during the COVID-19 pandemic: online elicitation of subjective beliefs and economic preferences

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2025

Glenn W. Harrison Open the ORCID record for Glenn W. Harrison [Opens in a new window] ,
Andre Hofmeyr Open the ORCID record for Andre Hofmeyr [Opens in a new window] ,
Harold Kincaid Open the ORCID record for Harold Kincaid [Opens in a new window] ,
Brian Monroe Open the ORCID record for Brian Monroe [Opens in a new window] ,
Don Ross Open the ORCID record for Don Ross [Opens in a new window] ,
Mark Schneider Open the ORCID record for Mark Schneider [Opens in a new window]  and
J. Todd Swarthout Open the ORCID record for J. Todd Swarthout [Opens in a new window]
Glenn W. Harrison*
Affiliation:
Department of Risk Management and Insurance, Robinson College of Business, Georgia State University, Atlanta, USA Center for the Economic Analysis of Risk, Robinson College of Business, Georgia State University, Atlanta, USA School of Economics, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
Andre Hofmeyr*
Affiliation:
School of Economics, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa Research Unit in Behavioural Economics and Neuroeconomics, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
Harold Kincaid*
Affiliation:
School of Economics, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa Research Unit in Behavioural Economics and Neuroeconomics, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
Brian Monroe*
Affiliation:
School of Philosophy and School of Economics, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Don Ross*
Affiliation:
Center for the Economic Analysis of Risk, Robinson College of Business, Georgia State University, Atlanta, USA School of Economics, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa Research Unit in Behavioural Economics and Neuroeconomics, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa School of Society, Politics and Ethics, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
Mark Schneider*
Affiliation:
Center for the Economic Analysis of Risk, Robinson College of Business, Georgia State University, Atlanta, USA
J. Todd Swarthout*
Affiliation:
Center for the Economic Analysis of Risk, Robinson College of Business, Georgia State University, Atlanta, USA Department of Economics and Experimental Economics Center, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University, Atlanta, USA
*
gharrison@gsu.edu
andre.hofmeyr@uct.ac.za
harold.kincaid@uct.ac.za
brian.monroe@ucd.ie
don.ross931@gmail.com
mschneider@gsu.edu
e-mail: swarthout@gsu.edu
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Abstract

We convey our experiences developing and implementing an online experiment to elicit subjective beliefs and economic preferences. The COVID-19 pandemic and associated closures of our laboratories required us to conduct an online experiment in order to collect beliefs and preferences associated with the pandemic in a timely manner. Since we had not previously conducted a similar multi-wave online experiment, we faced design and implementation considerations that are not present when running a typical laboratory experiment. By discussing these details more fully, we hope to contribute to the online experiment methodology literature at a time when many other researchers may be considering conducting an online experiment for the first time. We focus primarily on methodology; in a complementary study we focus on initial research findings.

Keywords

Experimental economic methodologyOnline incentivized experimentRisk preferencesTime preferencesSubjective beliefs

JEL classification

C88: Other Computer Software C91: Laboratory, Individual Behavior D90: General‡ D81: Criteria for Decision-Making under Risk and Uncertainty B41: Economic Methodology
Type
Original Paper
Information
Journal of the Economic Science Association , Volume 7 , Issue 2: Special Issue: Experiments in the time of COVID 19 – Challenges and Insights (Pages 103-209) , December 2021 , pp. 194 - 209
Copyright
Copyright © 2021 The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Economic Science Association

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References

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