Design

We use a partial fractional factorial design using the following organizational attributes:

Organizations

  • Amnesty International
  • Greenpeace
  • Oxfam
  • Red Cross

Issue areas

  • Emergency response
  • Environment
  • Human rights
  • Refugee relief

Organizational practices

  • Financial transparency
  • Accountability

Funding sources

  • Funded primarily by many small private donations
  • Funded primarily by a handful of wealthy private donors
  • Funded primarily by government grants

Relationship with host government

  • Friendly relationship with government
  • Criticized by government
  • Under government crackdown

 

Participants are then presented with random combinations of these attributes and asked to select which hypothetical organization they’d be willing to donate to. Participants see 12 iterations of a question that looks like this:

Q4.x: For each of the next 12 questions, imagine you are selecting an organization you will donate to and that each of the listed organizations exists. Which of the following organizations would you donate to?

Attribute Option 1 Option 2 Option 3 None
Organization Greenpeace Oxfam Red Cross
Issue area Environment Refugee relief Refugee relief
Transparency Doesn’t engage in transparency Engages in transparency Engages in transparency
Accountability Doesn’t engage in accountability Doesn’t engage in accountability Doesn’t engage in accountability
Funding sources Handful of wealthy private donors Government grants Handful of wealthy private donors
Relationship with host government Under crackdown Criticized Criticized

 

Our sample size is 1,000, which constitutes a sufficient size for model estimation. A sample size of at least 500 respondents is typical for estimating a hierarchical Bayesian model based on conjoint data. We double this amount because we are interested in analyzing subpopulations of respondents, which requires a larger sample. We present respondents with 4 hypothetical organizations that have 4 randomly assigned features. Respondents will be shown 12 sets of hypothetical organizations. This partial fractional factorial design results in 288 (4 × 4 × 2 × 3 × 3) possible combinations of organization features, and no single respondent will be offered every combination. To provide better coverage and arrive at better individual-level estimates, we use a larger sample size.

Survey experiment

First demographic section

Q2.1: How often do you follow national news?

Single answer

  • Multiple times a day
  • Every day
  • Once a week
  • Hardly ever
  • Never
Q2.2: How often do you follow international news?

Single answer

  • Always
  • Sometimes
  • Never
Q2.3: Which mediums do you use to follow news? (Select all that apply.)

Multiple answers allowed

  • TV
  • Print
  • Online (excluding social media)
  • Social media
  • Radio
  • Email newsletters
Q2.4: Some people seem to follow what’s going on in government and public affairs most of the time, whether there’s an election going on or not. Others aren’t that interested. How often would you say you follow what’s going on in government and public affairs?

Single answer

  • Most of the time
  • Some of the time
  • Only now and then
  • Hardly at all
Q2.5: How often do you donate to charity (with either cash or in-kind)?

Single answer

  • Once a week
  • Once a month
  • Once every three months
  • Once every six months
  • Once a year
  • Once every few years
  • Never

Terminate if Q2.5 == “Once every few years” OR Q2.5 == “Never”

Q2.6: How much did you donate to charity last year?

Single answer

  • $1-$49
  • $50-$99
  • $100-$499
  • $500-$999
  • $1000-$4,999
  • $5000-$9,999
  • $10,000+
Q2.7: Here is a 7-point scale on which the importance of trusting charities is arranged from not at all important (left) to essential (right). Where would you place yourself on this scale?

Single answer

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
How important is it that you trust a charity before giving to it?
Q2.8: Here is a 7-point scale on which your level of trust in charities is arranged from no trust at all (left) to complete trust (right). Where would you place yourself on this scale?

Single answer

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
How much do you trust charities?
Q2.9: Have you volunteered in the past 12 months?

Single answer

  • Yes
  • No

Display Q2.10 if Q2.9 == “Yes”

Q2.10: How often do you volunteer?

Single answer

  • Once a week
  • Once a month
  • Once every three months
  • Once every six months
  • Once a year
  • Once every few years
Q2.11: Please select blue from the following list:

Single answer

  • Red
  • Yellow
  • Blue
  • Green

Conjoint explanation

Q3.1: In the following set of questions, we will ask you to select organizations you would donate to. The following terms will be important. Please read through this list carefully.

Organizations:

  • Amnesty International: A London-based non-governmental organization known for its focus on human rights.
  • Greenpeace: An independent, nonprofit, global campaigning organization known for using non-violent, creative confrontation to expose global environmental problems and their causes.
  • Oxfam: An international group known for providing help to poor countries and disaster areas, with a focus on helping create lasting solutions to the injustice of poverty.
  • Red Cross: An international organization known for caring for the wounded, sick, and homeless in wartime and following natural disasters.

Issue areas:

  • Emergency response: Respond to situations that pose an immediate risk to health, life, property, or the environment.
  • Environment: Protecting the natural world and the impact of human activity on its condition.
  • Human rights: Protect the inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because he or she is a human being.
  • Refugee relief: Provide relief for those who have been forced to flee his or her country because of persecution, war or violence.

Organizational practices:

  • Financial transparency: Organization discloses information regarding its donations and financial allocations in a timely and reliable manner.
  • Accountability: Organization undergoes a regular third-party audit to ensure that it is meeting its program goals and obligations.

Funding sources:

  • Funded primarily by many small private donations: Funds by individuals who make small independent contributions.
  • Funded primarily by a handful of wealthy private donors: Funds by wealthy individuals or families, who receive tax deductions for donations.
  • Funded primarily by government grants: Non-repayable funds gifted by a government department.

Relationship with host government:

  • Friendly relationship with government: Organization has a friendly relationship with its host government.
  • Criticized by government: Organization faces public condemnation from the government.
  • Under government crackdown: Host government has undertaken official action to limit or stop the organization.

Conjoint questions

Q4.1: For each of the next 12 questions, imagine you are selecting an organization you will donate to and that each of the listed organizations exists. Which of the following organizations would you donate to?

Single option or “none” selected

Option 1 Option 2 Option 3 None
Organization Random Random Random
Issue area Random Random Random
Financial transparency Random Random Random
Accountability Random Random Random
Funding sources Random Random Random
Relationship with host government Random Random Random
Q4.2–12: Which of the following organizations would you donate to?

Single option or “none” selected

Option 1 Option 2 Option 3 None
Organization Random Random Random
Issue area Random Random Random
Financial transparency Random Random Random
Accountability Random Random Random
Funding sources Random Random Random
Relationship with host government Random Random Random

Additional demographic questions

Q5.1: Did you vote in the last election?

Single answer

  • Yes
  • No
Q5.2: Here is a 7-point scale on which the political views that people might hold are arranged from extremely liberal (left) to extremely conservative (right). Where would you place yourself on this scale?

Single answer

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Political ideology
Q5.3: Here is a list of different types of voluntary organizations. For each organization, indicate whether you are an active member, an inactive member, or not a member of that type of organization:

Matrix table

Active member Inactive member Don’t belong
Church or religious organization
Sport or recreational organization
Art, music, or educational organization
Labor union
Political party
Environmental organization
Professional association
Humanitarian or charitable organization
Consumer organization
Other organization
Q5.4: Historically, how involved have you been in activist causes?

Single answer

  • Extremely involved
  • Very involved
  • Moderately involved
  • Slightly involved
  • Never involved
Q5.5: Historically, how involved has your family been in activist causes?

Single answer

  • Extremely involved
  • Very involved
  • Moderately involved
  • Slightly involved
  • Never involved
Q5.6: Here is a 7-point scale on which you trust political institutions and the state. The scale is arranged from no trust (left) to complete trust (right). Where would you place yourself on this scale?

Single answer

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Trust in political institutions and the state
Q5.7: Have you ever traveled to a developing country?

Single answer

  • Yes
  • No
Q5.8: How often do you attend religious or worship services, not including weddings and funerals?

Single answer

  • More than once a week
  • Once a week
  • Once or twice a month
  • A few times a year
  • Seldom
  • Never
  • Don’t know
Q5.9: How important is religion in your life?

Single answer

  • Extremely important
  • Very important
  • Moderately important
  • Slightly important
  • Not at all important
Q5.10: What is your current religion, if any?

Single answer

  • Catholic (including Roman Catholic and Orthodox)
  • Protestant (United Church of Canada, Anglican, Orthodox, Baptist, Lutheran)
  • Christian Orthodox
  • Jewish
  • Muslim
  • Sikh
  • Hindu
  • Buddhist
  • Atheist (do not believe in God)
  • Other: _________
Q5.11: Here is a 7-point scale of your prosocial views. The scale is arranged from equality (left) to altruism (right). Where would you place yourself on this scale?

Single answer

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Prosocial views
Q5.12: What is your gender?

Single answer

  • Male
  • Female
  • Transgender
  • Prefer not to say
  • Other: _________
Q5.13: Are you now married, widowed, divorced, separated, or never married?

Single answer

  • Married
  • Widowed
  • Divorced
  • Separated
  • Never married
Q5.14: What is the highest degree or level of school you have completed?

Single answer

  • Less than high school
  • High school graduate
  • Some college
  • 2 year degree
  • 4 year degree
  • Graduate or professional degree
  • Doctorate
Q5.15: What is your annual household income before taxes?

Single answer

  • Less than $10,000
  • $10,000 to $19,999
  • $20,000 to $29,999
  • $30,000 to $39,999
  • $40,000 to $49,999
  • $50,000 to $59,999
  • $60,000 to $69,999
  • $70,000 to $79,999
  • $80,000 to $89,999
  • $90,000 to $99,999
  • $100,000 to $149,999
  • $150,000 to $199,999
  • $200,000 to $299,999
  • $300,000 or more
Q5.16: Choose one or more races that you consider yourself to be:

Multiple answers allowed

  • White
  • Black or African American
  • American Indian or Alaska Native
  • Asian
  • Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
  • Other: _________
Q5.17: How old are you?

Single answer

  • Under 18
  • 18 - 24
  • 25 - 34
  • 35 - 44
  • 45 - 54
  • 55 - 64
  • 65 - 74
  • 75 - 84
  • 85 or older
Q5.18: What is your ZIP code?

Text field

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