Consumers’ Shares of Preferences for Turfgrass Attributes Using a Discrete Choice Experiment and the Best–Worst Method

Abstract

This study compares preference shares of stress-tolerant, low-maintenance, and low-cost turfgrass attributes in five states (Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Texas) in the southeastern and midsouthern United States using the discrete choice experiment (DCE) and the best–worst method (BWM). An online survey was conducted and a mixed logit model (MLM) was used to determine the homeowners’ relative preferences for turfgrass attributes. The results of a survey of 1179 household consumers indicate that the most preferred attribute using either of the methods was low maintenance cost in all the states. Although the relative importance (preference share) by the DCE and the BWM for each attribute is statistically different, both methods yield a similar preference ordering for low-maintenance, drought-tolerant, and saline-tolerant turf, but a different ordering for shade-tolerant and low purchase–price turf. This study provides a framework for turfgrass researchers and producers to invest and expand outreach on desirable turfgrass attributes for homeowners.