Differences In Willingness Research Articles

Gender differences in willingness to compete and answering multiple-choice questions—The role of age

Using a large and unique data set of a German wide voluntary mathematical school competition, we examine at which age gender differences in the willingness to compete arise. We use the data of more than 1, 3 million pupils, ages 8 to 18. We find that the share of girls participating in the competition starts to decrease in the early teenage years (12–13). Furthermore, girls answer fewer multiple-choice questions than boys at all age levels. This is interesting as previous findings have identified skipping in multiple-choice tests as one reason for men outperforming women inter alia in university entrance examinations.

Gender Differences in Willingness to Compete: The Role of Culture and Institutions

In the laboratory experiment reported in this paper we explore how evolving institutions and social norms, which we label 'culture', change individuals' preferences and behaviour in mainland China. From 1949 China experienced dramatic changes in its socio-economic institutions. These began with communist central planning and the establishment of new social norms, including the promotion of gender equality in place of the Confucian view of female 'inferiority'. Market-oriented reforms, begun in 1978, helped China achieve unprecedented economic growth and at the same time Marxist ideology was gradually replaced by the acceptance of individualistic free-market ideology. During this period, many old traditions crept back and as a consequence social norms gradually changed again. In our experiment we investigate gender differences in competitive choices across different birth cohorts of individuals who, during their crucial developmental-age, were exposed to one of the two regimes outlined above. In particular we investigate gender differences in competitive choices for different birth cohorts in Beijing using their counterparts in Taipei (subject to the same original Confucian traditions) to control for the general time trend. Our findings confirm: (i) that females in Beijing are significantly more likely to compete than females from Taipei; (ii) that Beijing females from the 1958 birth cohort are more competitive than their male counterparts as well as more competitive than later Beijing birth cohorts; and (iii) that for Taipei there are no statistically significant differences across cohort or gender in willingness to compete. In summary, our findings confirm that exposure to different institutions and social norms during the crucial developmental age changes individuals' behaviour. Our findings also provide further evidence that gender differences in economic preferences are not innately determined.

Gender differences in willingness to pay for capital-intensive agricultural technologies: the case of fish solar tent dryers in Malawi

Gender differences in fish processors’ willingness to pay for a group-owned fish solar tent dryer (FSTD) are being assessed by using the double hurdle model. Willingness to pay (WTP) responses from 382 randomly selected fish processors were elicited through a bidding game in a contingent valuation method. The findings show that the average probability that fish processors will be willing to pay was 74% (76% for females and 72% for males). Furthermore, the average level of WTP was US$29.45 (US$26.46 for females and US$33.51 for males). Females have a lower level of WTP than men because of their low endowment with assets that can assist them such as education, access to markets and productive assets. In view of these findings, the paper concludes that female fish processors have a higher probability of being willing to pay than male fish processors, but the levels of WTP are lower for female processors. The study suggests that when organising the community into cooperatives is possible, WTP for capital-intensive technologies can be assessed as contributions of individuals to the total cost of the technologies although the common property characteristic is suspected to lower the level of willingness to pay.

Service quality and parents' willingness to get adolescents HPV vaccine from pharmacists

We sought to examine whether pharmacy service quality was associated with parents' willingness to have immunizing pharmacists administer human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine to their adolescent children. Participants were a national sample of 1504 US parents of adolescents ages 11 to 17 who completed an online survey in 2014. Analyses used structural equation modeling. Parents rated service quality and feelings of satisfaction with their pharmacies as moderate to high. Many (44%) were willing to get HPV vaccine from immunizing pharmacists for their adolescent children. Compared with parents who went to chain pharmacies, parents who went to independent pharmacies gave higher ratings of service quality (professionalism, confidentiality, milieu, all p < .001). Parents who went to clinic pharmacies, compared with parents who went to chain pharmacies gave lower ratings for milieu (p < .01). Parents who went to independent pharmacies had lower willingness to get HPV vaccine from pharmacists compared to parents who went to chain pharmacies (p = .001), but there was no difference in willingness for parents who went to clinic versus chain pharmacies. Service quality and satisfaction partially mediated the effect between independent pharmacies compared to chain pharmacies and willingness (p < .05). Parents who knew their pharmacists or expressed more confidence in HPV vaccine also had higher willingness to get their children HPV vaccine from pharmacist. Many parents were willing to go to immunizing pharmacists for their children's HPV vaccination. Pharmacies that are considering offering HPV vaccine may be able to improve vaccine uptake by increasing perception of service quality.

College students' online purchase attitudes and intentions: gender, product type, and risk

This research explores the relationship between gender and hedonically-motivated shopping as well as the effects of product type (i.e., hedonic vs. utilitarian) and gender on online purchase attitudes and intentions. It also explores how consumers' online shopping risk perceptions influence the effects of the relationship between product type and gender on online attitudes and intentions. Results show that female college students in the USA are more likely than male college students in the USA to identify as hedonically-motivated consumers but that these differences do not carry over to product type. Conversely, males are more willing than females to purchase hedonic products online. Gender differences in willingness to buy hedonic products online are mediated by online shopping risk perceptions. Both males and females however view hedonic products as riskier than utilitarian products and are more willing to purchase utilitarian than hedonic products online. The results suggest that marketers need to continue to seek ways to convert females' enjoyment of shopping into actual purchase behaviour. Online marketers need to seek ways to mitigate the risk associated with purchasing hedonic products online.

Individual contributions, provision point mechanisms and project cost information effects on contingent values: Findings from a field validity test

In many instances, Contingent Valuation practitioners rely on voluntary monetary contributions, despite the fact that they are deemed to be neither incentive compatible in theory nor demand revealing in practice. The reason is that they are suitable for most field applications and offer benefits that may outweigh their drawbacks. This paper endeavors to contribute to the literature by exploring the effect of donation payments with differing incentive structures and information levels on contingent values and on respondents' uncertainty regarding the donations declared. To this end, a field survey was conducted using a sample of 332 respondents who were randomly assigned to one of three different mechanisms: (1) individual contribution (hereinafter CVM treatment); (2) individual contribution with provision point mechanism (PPM), where the total cost of the project is unknown (hereinafter PPM treatment); and (3) individual contribution with PPM, where the total cost of the project is known (hereinafter PPM-INF treatment). The results indicate that there are no statistically significant differences in willingness to pay (WTP) estimates between the CVM and PPM treatments nor between the PPM and the PPM-INF treatments. The results also indicate that the PPM has a positive effect on respondents' certainty level, but there is no evidence that the certainty level is affected by the project information cost. The results are mixed compared to previous research efforts. Thus, further tests are necessary in field comparisons and under different information environments before any definite recommendations can be made.

Indywidualne różnice w socjoseksualności: dowody na trafność konwergencyjną i dyskryminacyjną

Individual differences in willingness to engage in uncommitted sexual relations were investigated in 6 studies. In Study I, a 5-item Sociosexual Orientation Inventory (SOl) was developed. Studies 2, 3, and 4 provided convergent validity evidence for the SOI, revealing that persons who have an unrestricted sociosexual orientation tend to (a) engage in sex at an earlier point in their relationships, (b) engage in sex with more than 1 partner at a time, and (c) be involved in relationships characterized by less investment, commitment, love, and dependency. Study 5 provided discriminant validity for the SOI, revealing that it does not covary appreciably with a good marker of sex drive. Study 6 demonstrated that the SOI correlates negligibly with measures of sexual satisfaction, anxiety, and guilt. The possible stability of, origins of, and motivational bases underlying individual differences in sociosexuality are discussed.

Random taste heterogeneity in discrete choice models: Flexible nonparametric finite mixture distributions

This study proposes a mixed logit model with multivariate nonparametric finite mixture distributions. The support of the distribution is specified as a high-dimensional grid over the coefficient space, with equal or unequal intervals between successive points along the same dimension; the location of each point on the grid and the probability mass at that point are model parameters that need to be estimated. The framework does not require the analyst to specify the shape of the distribution prior to model estimation, but can approximate any multivariate probability distribution function to any arbitrary degree of accuracy. The grid with unequal intervals, in particular, offers greater flexibility than existing multivariate nonparametric specifications, while requiring the estimation of a small number of additional parameters. An expectation maximization algorithm is developed for the estimation of these models. Multiple synthetic datasets and a case study on travel mode choice behavior are used to demonstrate the value of the model framework and estimation algorithm. Compared to extant models that incorporate random taste heterogeneity through continuous mixture distributions, the proposed model provides better out-of-sample predictive ability. Findings reveal significant differences in willingness to pay measures between the proposed model and extant specifications. The case study further demonstrates the ability of the proposed model to endogenously recover patterns of attribute non-attendance and choice set formation.

Willingness to Use Mobile Phone Apps for HIV Prevention Among Men Who Have Sex with Men in London: Web-Based Survey.

BackgroundMany men who have sex with men (MSM) use apps to connect with and meet other MSM. Given that these apps are often used to arrange sexual encounters, it is possible that apps may be suitable venues for messages and initiatives related to HIV prevention such as those to increase HIV testing rates among this population.ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to assess willingness to use a new app for reminders of when to be tested for HIV infection among a sample of MSM in London who use apps to arrange sexual encounters.MethodsBroadcast advertisements targeted users of a popular social-networking app for MSM in London. Advertisements directed users to a Web-based survey of sexual behaviors and sexual health needs. Willingness to use apps for reminders of when to be tested for HIV was assessed. In addition, participants responded to items assessing recent sexual behaviors, substance use, and demographic characteristics. Exploratory analyses were undertaken to examine differences in willingness to use an app by demographic and behavioral characteristics.ResultsBroadcast advertisements yielded a sample of 169 HIV-negative MSM. Overall, two-thirds (108/169, 63.9%) reported willingness to use an app to remind them when to be tested for HIV. There were no significant differences in willingness to use these apps based on demographic characteristics, but MSM who reported recent binge drinking and recent club drug use more frequently reported willingness to use this app compared to their nonusing counterparts.ConclusionsMSM in this sample are willing to use a new app for HIV testing reminders. Given the high levels of willingness to use them, these types of apps should be developed, evaluated, and made available for this population.

Consistency and sources of divergence in recommendations on screening with questionnaires for presently experienced health problems or symptoms: a comparison of recommendations from the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care, UK National Screening Committee, and US Preventive Services Task Force

BackgroundRecently, health screening recommendations have gone beyond screening for early-stage, asymptomatic disease to include “screening” for presently experienced health problems and symptoms using self-report questionnaires. We examined recommendations from three major national guideline organizations to determine the consistency of recommendations, identify sources of divergent recommendations, and determine if guideline organizations have identified any direct randomized controlled trial (RCT) evidence for the effectiveness of questionnaire-based screening.MethodsWe reviewed recommendation statements listed by the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care (CTFPHC), the United Kingdom National Screening Committee (UKNSC), and the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) as of 5 September 2016. Eligible recommendations focused on using self-report questionnaires to identify patients with presently experienced health problems or symptoms. Within each recommendation and accompanying evidence review we identified screening RCTs.ResultsWe identified 22 separate recommendations on questionnaire-based screening, including three CTFPHC recommendations against screening, eight UKNSC recommendations against screening, four USPSTF recommendations in favor of screening (alcohol misuse, adolescent depression, adult depression, intimate partner violence), and seven USPSTF recommendations that did not recommend for or against screening. In the four cases where the USPSTF recommended screening, either the CTFPHC, the UKNSC, or both recommended against. When recommendations diverged, the USPSTF expressed confidence in benefits based on indirect evidence, evaluated potential harms as minimal, and did not consider cost or resource use. CTFPHC and UKNSC recommendations against screening, on the other hand, focused on the lack of direct evidence of benefit and raised concerns about harms to patients and resource use. Of six RCTs that directly evaluated screening interventions, five did not report any statistically significant primary or secondary health outcomes in favor of screening, and one trial reported equivocal results.ConclusionsOnly the USPSTF has made any recommendations for screening with questionnaires for presently experienced problems or symptoms. The CTFPHC and UKNSC recommended against screening in all of their recommendations. Differences in recommendations appear to reflect differences in willingness to assume benefit from indirect evidence and different approaches to assessing possible harms and resource consumption. There were no examples in any recommendations of RCTs with direct evidence of improved health outcomes.

Risky Sexual Behavior and Knowledge of HIV/AIDS Transmission in a Community Sample: Sexual Orientation, Race, and Gender

New cases of HIV/AIDS are disproportionately diagnosed among men who identify as lesbian, gay, and bisexual and Black. Reasons for this disparity may be related to differences in knowledge of how HIV/AIDS is transmitted and differences in willingness to engage in risky sexual behaviors. In this study, we examined whether differences in knowledge of HIV/AIDS transmission and engagement in risky sexual behaviors differed among men and women; lesbian, gay, and bisexual and heterosexual people; and White and Black people. Findings indicate knowledge of HIV/AIDS transmission was not related to sexual orientation or gender; however, White participants had higher scores on a measure of knowledge of HIV/AIDS transmission than Black participants. While neither gender nor race seemed to be related to differences in engaging in risky sexual behavior, differences in what types of risky sexual behavior people participated in existed based on sexual orientation. Implications for prevention efforts are addressed.

Understanding the Role of Message Frames on African-American Willingness to Participate in a Hypothetical Diabetes Prevention Study

The objective of this research was to evaluate the impact of message framing (e.g., highlighting health disparities vs. progress toward reducing disparities) on willingness to enroll in a hypothetical research study. African-American (AA, n = 1513) and White (n = 362) adults completed an online survey about diabetes, health behaviors including physical activity, and attitudes about research. AA participants were randomized to view a general message (same message as provided to all White participants) or 1 of 4 alternate messages that framed the need for people to participate in research in terms of race and/or health disparities. Among AAs, there were no differences in willingness to enroll in the study by message frame. However, individual characteristics including younger age, female sex, attitudes about research, a sense of obligation, and community responsibility were significant predictors of willingness to enroll in the study. AA participants who received the general message were equally willing as White participants to enroll in the study. Highlighting race and health disparities in study recruitment materials may not be needed to increase interest among AAs. Factors beyond race appear to be stronger motivators for participation. Unlike previous research, racial framing did not suppress motivation to enroll in our hypothetical study.

Competitive behavior, stress, and gender

This paper investigates whether physiological measures related to chronic and acute stress predict individual differences in willingness to compete. We measure individuals' autonomic nervous system activity in a resting state as well as under non-competitive and competitive incentive schemes using heart rate variability (HRV) measurement. We find that both baseline HRV and competition-induced changes in HRV predict willingness to compete. Notably, we find that women with low baseline HRV, a marker associated with chronic stress exposure, are more likely to choose piece rate incentives over competitive incentives than women with high baseline HRV. We observe that men with large acute HRV response to forced competition are more likely to choose tournament pay over piece rate pay than men with small acute HRV response to competition. Our results suggest that HRV can predict individual differences in willingness to compete, but HRV does not close the gender gap in willingness to compete at the aggregate level.

Effect of two additional interventions, test and reflection, added to standard cardiopulmonary resuscitation training on seventh grade students’ practical skills and willingness to act: a cluster randomised trial

ObjectivesThe aim of this research is to investigate if two additional interventions, test and reflection, after standard cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training facilitate learning by comparing 13-year-old students’ practical skills and...

Racial differences in willingness to participate in HIV prevention clinical trials among university students in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Students, especially women, are in the highest HIV incidence group in Sub-Saharan Africa. Willingness to participate is a crucial element in recruitment of participants for clinical trials, including HIV prevention trials. There is increasing incidence of HIV among university students, highlighting the importance of evaluating their willingness to participate in prevention trials. Assessment of willingness to participate assists in determining community preparedness for trials. This cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate willingness to participate and explore racial differences and factors associated with willingness to participate in HIV prevention research. The Clinical Research Involvement Scale and demographic questionnaire were administered online to university students aged 18–45 years at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. The instruments evaluated associations between willingness to participate and age, gender, relationship status, parity, religion, education, student and employment status, and access to private health care. This study enrolled 636 participants, of which 509 records were analysable. Most students were willing to participate in HIV prevention research irrespective of race. However, Black students expressed greater intention to participate compared to White and Indian students. Racial differences in factors that affect intentions to participate were differences in risk perception and seeking access to better quality health care. The Clinical Research Involvement Scale is a reliable instrument in this population. Validity improved with removal of factors, motivation to comply, and outcome evaluations. These findings may not be generalizable to other student populations in Southern Africa.

An Environmental Perspective on Clothing Consumption: Consumer Segments and Their Behavioral Patterns

Efforts to decrease the environmental impact of today’s clothing industry across the entire process of production, purchase, maintenance, and disposal can be driven by either suppliers or consumers. Changing the behavior of the latter, however, requires an understanding of current clothing consumption patterns—a currently under-researched area. We therefore shed more light on these patterns in the purchase, use and maintenance, and discard phases by analyzing unique data on 4617 adult consumers (aged 18–65) from Germany, Poland, Sweden, and the U.S., who we divide into five segments based on clothing consumption behavior. At the low end of the spectrum is a consumer segment that earns the least, consumes mostly budget brand clothing, and is the least open to alternative more environmentally friendly business models such as fashion leasing or clothing libraries. At the other extreme lies a small segment that earns the most, engages in high consumption of medium or premium brand clothing, and is most open to alternative business models. Lying between these two is a primarily female segment that purchases an above average amount of clothing from budget brands. In addition to the segments’ different reported purchase behavior and a varying openness to alternative business models, we identify differences in willingness to pay for clothing made of material that is more environmentally friendly than conventional fabrics. These observations suggest several promising directions for environmental interventions tailored toward specific consumer segments.

Catch me if I fall: Cross-national differences in willingness to take financial risks as a function of social and state ‘cushioning’

Knowledge about the existence and source of national differences in willingness to take risks plays a vital role in ensuring successful communication, collaboration, and understanding across countries, from the personal to the organizational and political/social domain. The current study investigates differences in financial risk-taking willingness between countries as a function of social and state ‘cushioning’, i.e. the extent of a person’s social support network and the state’s social-safety support network. The study compares large-scale household data and self-reports on willingness to take financial risks across three countries differing in their state support networks: Austria, Italy and the United States. Results show that personal social support network size influences risk-taking willingness (social cushioning). Furthermore, and most notably, we find evidence of an interactive relationship between social and state cushioning. High state cushioning renders the influence of social cushioning on financial risk-taking willingness less important. Contributions to management and business practice as well as theory on the influence of personal distance to financial support on risk-taking willingness are discussed.

Testosterone deficiency in adults and corresponding treatment patterns across the globe.

The global prevalence of testosterone deficiency (TD) ranges from 10–40%. The actual diagnosis of TD is controversial, as a wide range of total testosterone (TT) thresholds are used for diagnosis (200–400 ng/dL), and physicians differ in their emphasis placed on clinical symptoms. There are also significant global differences in the prescription patterns of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT). In the United States, prescription of TRT is significantly higher than the rest of the world, increasing 3-fold over the last 10 years and more so in eugonadal men. The majority of treating physicians emphasizes clinical symptomology of TD over laboratory values, and up to one-fourth of their patients do not even have serum testosterone levels. There are significant inter-physician differences in willingness to prescribe TRT in the setting of prostate cancer. Data is scarce on testosterone prescribing patterns in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. More literature is needed to better characterize how physicians from different regions diagnose TD.

The benefits, risks and costs of privacy: patient preferences and willingness to pay

Objective: Multiple surveys show that patients want medical privacy; however, there are costs to maintaining privacy. There are also risks if information is not shared. A review of previous surveys found that most surveys asked questions about patient’s privacy concerns and willingness to share their medical information. We found only one study that asked about sharing medical information for better care and no survey that asked patients about the risk, cost or comparison between medical privacy and privacy in other areas. To fill this gap, we designed a survey to: (1) compare medical privacy preferences to privacy preferences in other areas; (2) measure willingness to pay the cost of additional privacy measures; and (3) measure willingness to accept the risks of not sharing information.Methods: A total of 834 patients attending physician offices at 14 sites completed all or part of an anonymous questionnaire.Results: Over 95% of patients were willing to share all their medical information with their treating physicians. There was no difference in willingness to share between primary care and specialty sites including psychiatry and an HIV clinic. In our survey, there was no difference in sharing preference between standard medical information and information with additional legal protections including genetic testing, drug/alcohol treatment and HIV results. Medical privacy was ranked lower than sharing social security and credit card numbers, but was deemed more private than other information including tax returns and handgun purchases. There was no statistical difference for any questions by site except for HIV/AIDS clinic patients ranking privacy of the medical record more important than reducing high medical costs and risk of medical errors (p < .05). Most patients were willing to spend a modest amount of additional time for privacy, but few were willing to pay more for additional medical privacy. Most patients were unwilling to take on additional risks to keep medical information hidden.Conclusions: Patients were very willing to share medical information with their providers. They were able to see the importance of sharing medical information to provide the best possible care. They were unwilling to hide information from providers if there was increased medical risk. Patients were willing to spend additional time for privacy, but most were unwilling to spend extra money. Sixty-eight percent of patients favored reducing medical costs over privacy.

No Gender Difference in Willingness to Compete When Competing against Self

We report on two experiments investigating whether there is a gender difference in the willingness to compete against oneself (self-competition), similar to what is found when competing against others (other-competition). In one laboratory and one online market experiment, involving a total of 1,200 participants, we replicate the gender-gap in willingness to other-compete but find no evidence of a gender difference in the willingness to self-compete. We explore the roles of risk and confidence and suggest that these factors can account for the different findings. Finally, we document that self-competition does no worse than other-competition in terms of performance boosting.