The Astra survey, the lottery, and participant choices

In the previous in-depth article, we left off with a question that was both simple and complex: how much is a scientific research project based on space science and technology like Astra worth to Italian citizens? This is one of the main questions underlying the work of the project's third work package, WP3 ("Technology Transfer and Impact Management"). An interdisciplinary working group, coordinated by Adriana Pinate of the Gran Sasso Science Institute (head of WP3C, Ensuring the ethical use of new technologies), conducted a nationwide survey using experimental methods, involving a representative sample of the Italian population. 

The objective was precisely to try to answer the question about the general perception of the project's impact. Specifically, we are talking about an online survey distributed in the second half of September to one thousand adults residing in Italy and recruited by a company specializing in surveys. 

A pilot phase had also involved an additional 40 participants. Below we present the results of the experimental section relating to a lottery launched on the occasion of the survey, designed specifically to estimate the value (including economic value) that participants placed on Astra after learning about its characteristics. 

It should be emphasized that all information complies with privacy and participant anonymity regulations, and participants are not identifiable even by the research team itself.

The Experiment

The questionnaire was divided into four sections, the second of which was experimental. Adopting a revealed preference approach (a method that deduces respondents' preferences from their actual choices rather than from direct questions), participants first learned about Astra. The main features of the project were presented through images, words, and renderings. 

Subsequently, they were offered the opportunity to win a real sum of money through a lottery. Finally, they were asked to donate (in part, in whole, or not at all) their winnings to science, and specifically to Astra. 

This mechanism made it possible to estimate the project's value for Italian residents, a crucial piece of data for developing the cost-benefit analysis (CBA), one of the main tools in impact assessment. In addition to the 4 euros provided for participating in the survey, it was possible for each respondent to win an additional sum of money. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two prize groups:

Group A: 80 euros, 25 winners (1 in 20 people) 

Group B: 40 euros, 50 winners (1 in 10 people)

After receiving information about Astra, participants received the following information on which they had to make choices. At the end of the survey, a unique random number (from 1 to 500) was assigned to each participant for entry into the lottery.

See the Italian version of the article for the tables with the participants' three choices.

Here the video of the lottery and the winning numbers (group A), recorded live. 
Here the video of the lottery and the winning numbers (group B), recorded live.

The Pilot Survey

Finally, as we have already highlighted, an initial pilot survey was conducted which included 20 participants per group, for a total of 40 people surveyed. Below you can see the videos of the pilot survey lottery winners, with the results related to the third choice (on the average of the donations).

Group A – 80 euros (1 winner out of 20 participants) 
Group B – 40 euros (2 winners out of 20 participants)