Information to potential research participants:
We are conducting a study that will gather information about how you make decisions in various hypothetical environmental and non-environmental contexts.
You can sign up for the experiments here: https://doodle.com/sign-up-sheet/participate/5b60de24-b3b2-43ac-bbcd-ccf68c80e405/select
Please read about the experiments before participating in the sessions!
You are about to participate in a study that will gather information about you and how you make decisions in various hypothetical situations, including some related to environmental contexts. There are no right or wrong answers to the hypothetical decision-making questions you see, we therefore ask you to consider the question carefully and answer truthfully and to the best of your ability.
The project’s main goal is to understand how individuals respond to situations where they have incomplete information about the risks in the natural environment and help us to refine mechanisms to better support decision-making in these contexts.
You have been invited to take part in this research study because we are trying to get a representative sample of respondents to our study, with a mix of forest-related experience and none at all.
There are no costs to you for participating in this experiment, other than your time. The experiments and survey should take about 30-40 minutes to complete.
There are no direct benefits from participation in this experiment; however your responses will help us understand how people make decisions in various uncertain environmental and non-environmental contexts. You will receive a voucher/gift card on completion, to thank you for your time and engagement.
There are no risks of any sort (physical, psychological) from participation in this project.
We note at the outset that this experiment will not collect personal data that can help identify the individual participants. All survey responses and responses to the experimental choices will also be completely anonymous, i.e. no one, including the researchers, can connect the responses in the experiment to any identifiable individual. In addition, all data from the experiment will only be accessible to the researchers involved in the study. Data files will be password encrypted and securely stored. All data-related EU rules, including GDPR, will be followed. The research data will only be shared (if needed) for research replication purposes, but even in this case, no experimental response can be linked to any identifiable individual by anyone. All data collected during the experiment will be analysed and showcased anonymously.
On completing the survey, you will receive a gift card in return for your participation. All participants who successfully complete all tasks, receive a gift card (of value 99 SEK).
The project outcomes include a research report that will be accessible to anyone and posted on the SLU research webpage of the principal researcher, and on the Oxford Brookes University webpage. Research articles that will be published may also be made freely accessible where possible but in any case links to the peer reviewed publication will also be posted on the principal researcher’s SLU webpage.
Your participation is entirely voluntary and you can withdraw from the study at any point. You may terminate the survey at any time. If you exit the survey before pressing the “submit” button on the final page (i.e. without completing all tasks fully), your data/answers will not be saved, and you will not receive your participation bonus.
This study has been approved by The Swedish Ethical Review Authority (Etikprövnings Myndigheten, Dnr 2025-01054-01) and Oxford Brookes University Research Ethics Committee (UREC ref: L25363).
The Project leader and person responsible for the experiments is Dr Chandra Krishnamurthy, Department of Forest Economics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SLU, Umeå. Email: chandra.kiran@slu.se.
The research team includes Dr. Sara le Roux, Reader (Associate Professor), Oxford Brookes Business School.