Can information help Lakisha and Jamal find housing? Evidence from a low-cost online experiment of landlords

Abstract

Since the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, the federal government, as well as local and state governments and non-profit organizations, have attempted to eliminate housing discrimination by enforcing fair housing laws. This strategy, however, requires prospective tenants to actively report discrimination. In this paper, we conduct a randomized field experiment to examine if being sent a public service announcement (PSA) about fair housing laws affects a landlord's propensity to discriminate against prospective black tenants in the early stages of the rental housing process. We find landlords who are sent a PSA are more likely to respond to black clients one day and one week after treatment, though the effect appears to dissipate quickly.