About the study

The aim of the study is to advance knowledge of human behavior and decision making.

The study is called VAL, which is the Icelandic word for choice.

The study is led by researchers at the University of Iceland in collaboration with an international group of researchers from Maastricht University in the Netherlands, the Max Planck Institute in Germany, the University of Warsaw in Poland and Harvard University in the United States.

The principal investigator is Tinna Laufey Ásgeirsdóttir, professor at the University of Iceland.

The study has received a grant from the Icelandic Research Fund, grant number 2410236, as well as support from the City of Reykjavik, Almenningssamgöngur höfuðborgarsvæðisins (Strætó) and Katla Fitness.

The study can be completed in Icelandic, English or Polish.

What does participation involve?

Participation takes place in the online study interface and can take up to 45 minutes. Participation may involve the following elements. Some participants answer all of them, others only some:

Questions about background, attitudes and habits.
A spinning wheel where participants may be offered the opportunity to buy a pass at a discounted price: a bus pass from Strætó, a gym pass from Katla Fitness, the Reykjavik Culture Card or a swimming-pool pass from the City of Reykjavik. The participant first states the highest price they are willing to pay for the pass. The spinning wheel then draws a price at random, ranging from zero up to the market price of the pass. All prices in that range are equally likely. If the price drawn is equal to or lower than the maximum price the participant stated, the purchase is made at the price shown by the wheel. If it is higher, no purchase takes place.
Questions in which a choice is made between different cash payments. Some participants receive a payment, up to ISK 15,000. Whether a payment is made, and how large it is, depends on the participant’s choices in the questions and on random selection.

What do I need to know before I participate?

Each participant has 24 hours to complete the study. The countdown starts when the participant logs in with their electronic ID. Within those 24 hours, participants can close the study interface at any time and log in again with their electronic ID to continue. After that time, access closes and further participation is not possible.
Only participants who complete the study within those 24 hours are eligible for a cash payment.
It is generally not possible to go back in the study interface. It is therefore important to consider your answers carefully before continuing, particularly since discounts and payments may depend on choices between different options in the study.

Participants may be contacted later and invited to participate in follow-up studies. Although we value continued participation highly, it is always voluntary.

PLEASE NOTE: The study involves a spinning wheel and random selection. For people with a gambling addiction this may resemble gambling and may act as a trigger. Anyone who has struggled with or is struggling with gambling addiction should bear this in mind before deciding whether to participate. The SÁÁ gambling problem team provides assistance with gambling problems: spilavandi@saa.is or telephone 530 7600.

Who is responsible and where do I turn?

The person responsible and principal investigator is Tinna Laufey Ásgeirsdóttir, professor of economics at the University of Iceland. The data controller for the processing of personal data is the University of Iceland.

Questions about the study and about participation can be directed to the research team: rannsoknin.val@hi.is or telephone 525 4545 (the Social Science Research Institute, University of Iceland).

Questions about data protection can be directed to the Data Protection Officer of the University of Iceland, Magnús Jökull Sigurjónsson: mjs@hi.is or telephone 525 4052.