Using Internet Surveys to Perform Complex Interactive Economic Experiments

• In Event: Advances in Experimental Design

Abstract

We develop a dedicated program to perform highly operationalized interactive economic experiments in internet surveys and study the impact of the Bombing of Tokyo during World War II, one of the most devastating attacks with ordinary weapons, on the altruistic attitudes of contemporary residents of Tokyo, Japan. While field survey experiments have been actively implemented in developing countries, it has been rare in industrialized societies like Tokyo due to its high operating costs, and researchers typically rely on internet surveys. However, this solution cannot operationalize in- and out-group behaviors, a key characteristic to distinguish between universal and conditional altruisms extensively discussed in the empirical literature on the legacies of war violence. Following a pre-registered protocol, we randomly select multiple pairs of neighboring sites in which the bombing left differential damages while their prewar characteristics were similar. Then, we perform a spatiotemporally controlled internet survey with a dedicated program for interactive economic experiments with in- and out-group distinction. Our study demonstrates the broad applicability of our approach to measure complex behavioral outcomes and provides new insights into the long-term legacies of war violence in industrialized countries.

Authors

• Masataka Harada, Fukuoka University

• Natsumi SHIMADA

• Ryo Mikami, Osaka University