Are citizens responsive to interest groups? A field experiment on lobbying and intended citizen behaviour

Figures & data

Table

Treatment, personal

As an example, smart TV’s can both share data with third-party companies and be misused by hackers. Kez Garner, who heads a technology consulting firm, has seen several cases of cybercrime. One of her client's children received a smart TV as a gift. But it turned out later that the TV was used to spy on the family. The story about Kez Garner's client underscores the need be aware of the protection of your personal data when purchasing new electronics.

Treatment, public opinion-based

Forbrugerrådet Tænk has recently conducted a survey about products connected to the Internet among more than 1,000 Danes between 18 and 79 years old. The survey found that 56 per cent of the Danes are worried or very worried that the products collect information that is shared with other companies. An even higher share (69 per cent) state that they are worried or very worried that the products may get hacked.

Treatment, factual

As an example, smart TV’s can both share data with third-party companies and be misused by hackers. A test of smart TV’s conducted by the American consumer organization Consumer Reports showed that 5 out of 5 tested smart TV’s collected data on the TV habits of the users. This type of data can be shared with third-party companies in order to target advertisements to users on their phones and computers. The Consumer Reports’ test also found that 2 out of 5 tested smart TV’s had security flaws that allowed a hacker to control the sounds of the TV; its programs and internet connection.

Figure 1. Effect of Treatment versus Placebo (n: 3551–3828) (coefficients from OLS and two-stage least squares regressions with 95% and 90% confidence intervals). The figure displays the ITT effects from Models 1–7 and ATT effects from Models 8–14 in Table E1 in Online Appendix E.

Figure 2. Effect of Coalition Treatment vs Placebo and Individual Treatment vs Placebo (n: 2226–2413) (coefficients from OLS and two-stage least squares regressions with 95% and 90% confidence intervals). The top panel displays the ITT effects from Models 1–7 and ATT effects from Models 8–14 in Table E2, and the bottom panel the ITT effects from Models 1–7 and ATT effects from Models 8–14 in Table E3 in Online Appendix E.

Figure 3. Effect of Different Message Types vs Placebo (n: 1771–1951) (coefficients from OLS and two-stage least squares regressions with 95% and 90% confidence intervals). The top panel displays the ITT effects from Models 1–7 and ATT effects from Models 8–14 in Table E5, the middle panel the ITT effects from Models 1–7 and ATT effects from Models 8–14 in Table E6, and the bottom panel the ITT effects from Models 1–7 and ATT effects from Models 8–14 in Table E7 in Online Appendix E.