Discrete Choice Research Articles

A systematic review of condition-specific preference-based measures used in young people and their valuation methods.

Condition-specific health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) instruments can be more responsive and sensitive to specific conditions and diseases than generic HRQoL instruments. This systematic review aims to identify the condition-specific preference-based instruments that have been used with young people and identify how preference values have been obtained for these instruments. This review will inform future researchers about the methods used to elicit utilities for condition-specific HRQoL instruments. A comprehensive search strategy was used to identify condition-specific HRQoL instruments used in young people and the methods used to value these instruments. Published medical and health economic databases were searched from January 1990-March 2022. Articles were deemed eligible for inclusion if a condition-specific preference-based instrument was used in young people (age < 18). Screening, data extraction and quality assessment were conducted independently by at least two reviewers. After deduplication, a total of 4273 articles were eligible for title and abstract screening. Of these, 98 articles were eligible for full-text screening. After full-text screening, 18 articles were included in the review. Valuation studies were the most prevalent study design in the review (44%), followed by mapping studies (38%) and then other designs (18%). Among the valuation studies, the choice of HRQoL instrument, preference elicitation method, anchoring method and perspective varied considerably. To our knowledge, this review is the first to explore what condition-specific HRQoL instruments have been used in young people. Findings from this review could inform researchers in their choice of methods for measuring and valuing HRQoL. This review illustrates that to date there does not appear to be clear consensus of how to measure and value HRQoL in young people when using condition-specific instruments. The lack of consensus could be influenced by challenges identified in prior research such as limited guidance, ethical issues, and uncertain normative decisions regarding the choice of preference elicitation method. Ordinal methods such as discrete choice experiment and best-worst scaling appear to be preferable for use in this population.

Modelling the transformation of energy-intensive industries based on site-specific investment decisions

The transition towards climate-neutral industry is a challenge, particularly for heavy industries like steel and basic chemicals. Existing models for assessing industrial transformation often lack spatial resolution and fail to capture individual investment decisions. Consequently, the spatial interplay between industry transformation, energy availability, infrastructure availability, and the dynamics of discrete investments is inadequately addressed. Here we present a site-specific approach that considers individual industrial sites to simulate discrete investment decisions. The investment decision is modelled as a discrete choice among alternative technologies with their total cost of ownership as the main decision criterion. Process costs depend on the scenario-specific assumptions, such as energy carrier prices, policy instruments and local infrastructures. The age of production units and their reinvestment cycles are considered the main restrictions on the dynamics of the transition. The results provide high spatial resolution to capture the spatial and temporal dynamics of industry transition under varying process and policy assumptions. The presented model and its results can be coupled with energy system models to assess the implications of site-specific industry transition on energy system related research questions. We conduct an exemplary case study for a transformation pathway of the European primary steel production.

Identifying dynamic discrete choice models with hyperbolic discounting

Identifying dynamic discrete choice models with hyperbolic discounting

Communicating on Vaccine Benefit-Risk Ratios: A Discrete-Choice Experiment among Health Care Professionals and the General Population in France.

We explored preferences around the benefit-risk ratio (BRR) of vaccination among the general adult population and health care sector workers (HCSWs). We estimated preference weights and expected vaccine uptake for different BRR levels for a vaccine recommended during an infectious disease emergence. In addition, we explored how far qualitative information about disease severity, epidemiological context, and indirect protection interacts with these preferences. This was a cross-sectional study, using a self-administered online questionnaire containing a single-profile discrete choice experiment among HCSWs and the general population in France (quasi-representative sample). The questionnaire was available from January 12 to April 27, 2023, for HCSWs and from April 17 to May 3, 2023, for the general population. BRR is represented as the number of vaccine-prevented disease events for 1 event related to a vaccine side effect. Results are reported in 4 groups: general population sample, non-HCSWs, non-university-degree HCSWs, and university-degree HCSWs. Among the 1,869 participants, 1,038 (55.5%) varied their vaccine decision among the different vaccine scenarios. Hypothetical vaccine acceptance among university-degree HCSWs increased when the vaccination BRR was 100:1, while non-university-degree HCSWs and non-HCSWs were more sensitive to qualitative information about the vaccine BRR than quantitative indicators. Among participants in the general population sample with varied decisions, expected acceptance increased by 40% sample if disease risk was high. Among serial vaccine nondemanders, high disease risk decreased their certitude to refuse hypothetical vaccination. Our results suggest that only university-degree HCSWs are sensitive to the notion of BRR, but not the general public. Given that previous research found speaking about BRR might reduce vaccine acceptance, this notion should be avoided in vaccine promotion. The notion of benefit-risk ratio (BRR) of vaccination appears to be taken into account in vaccine decisions by university-degree HCSWs, but not by the general public. Mentioning a favorable BRR could imply that the vaccine is not safe and reduce vaccine motivation.Mentioning qualitative attributes of BRR surrounding disease frequency and severity, and indirect protection effects, strongly affected theoretical vaccine decisions in all participants, irrespective of professional categories.Expected vaccine acceptance increased by 40% among the general population sample if disease risk was presented as high, and expected vaccine coverage exceeded 50% in scenarios with high disease risk.Among those refusing vaccination in all vaccine scenarios, only a high risk of developing the disease decreased their certitude to refuse vaccination. This further underlines the importance of disease risk perception on vaccine decision making, including among persons who a priori are unlikely to accept vaccination.

Addressing concerns of access and distribution of health workforce: a discrete choice experiment to develop rural attraction and retention strategies in southwestern Ethiopia

BackgroundThere is a shortage of health workers in Ethiopia, with an uneven distribution between urban and rural areas. To formulate effective policy interventions aimed at attracting and retaining health workers in rural regions, this study examined the stated preferences of health workers when selecting health jobs.MethodsA discrete choice experiment was conducted among health workers in the Aari and South Omo zones of the South Ethiopia region, from September to November 2022 to gather insights into their job preferences. The design of the discrete choice experiment was informed by literature review, focus group discussions, and in-depth interviews. Through these qualitative studies, key job attributes influencing health workers’ preferences were identified, including salary, education, housing, location, timeliness of payment, medicine and equipment, management culture, and infrastructure. We employed a mixed logit model, allowing for full correlation between utility coefficients, to assess the relative importance of these attributes and account for heterogeneity in preferences and scales. We also conducted a willingness-to-pay analysis and assessed the probability of job uptake for both single and combined incentives.ResultsAll eight attributes exhibited statistically significant effects, with the expected signs, and indicating preference heterogeneity. Education opportunity, salary, and housing emerged as the most influential attributes shaping health workers’ decisions when considering a rural posting as a future workplace. Notably, health workers were willing to trade off a significant portion of their salary for improvements in other aspects of the job. Subgroup analysis revealed that health workers without a rural background were willing to pay more to work at the relatively more urban zone center compared to those with rural experience. Offering educational opportunities after one year of service at the base salary increased the probability of choosing a rural job posting by 79.8%. In addition, we find that packages of incentives are usually preferred over a single incentive.ConclusionHealth workers express a willingness to relocate to or continue serving in rural areas contingent upon improved working conditions. Both monetary and non-monetary policy interventions should be considered by policymakers to attract and retain health workers at rural locations in southwestern Ethiopia.

Abortion care preferences and trade-offs when traveling out-of-state for facility-based services: findings from a discrete choice experiment

BackgroundPregnant people living in states that banned abortion after the US Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v Wade (Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization -Dobbs decision) may evaluate multiple factors when deciding where to obtain facility-based abortion care in another state. We examine Texans’ stated preferences for out-of-state facility-based abortion care and quantify the trade-offs they would make when choosing between out-of-state facilities following a 2022 abortion ban.MethodsIn August 2022, we surveyed Texans ≥ 16 years old seeking abortion at in-state facilities or who were searching online for information about accessing abortion care. We used a Bayesian discrete choice experiment to analyze 12 choice sets for out-of-state facility-based abortion care and to assess preferences for three care attributes: wait time to appointment, distance to facility, and cost. We estimated conditional, multinomial, and mixed logit models to examine respondents’ attribute preferences and how these differed across subgroups. We used marginal rates of substitution to express Texans’ tradeoffs in terms of willingness to pay and willingness to travel for different attributes.ResultsAmong 136 respondents (1,362 observations), time to next appointment was the most important attribute (β = -0.887, p < 0.001), followed by cost (β = -0.006, p < 0.001) and distance (β = -0.001, p < 0.001). Respondents were willing to pay an additional $248 (95% CI: $220, $278) and travel 917 miles (95% CI: 711, 1123) further to get an appointment one week sooner. The willingness to pay for a one-week reduction in wait time to appointment was higher among respondents who did not report any economic hardships ($313, 95% CI: $255, $371) than among those who had one or more economic hardships ($175, 95% CI: $142, $208).ConclusionThis discrete choice experiment examining Texans’ preferences for out-of-state facility-based abortion care demonstrates that people seeking abortion prioritize wait time to appointment when deciding where to obtain care. Efforts to make timely care a more feasible option for all those seeking abortion care are needed to mitigate the potential widening of disparities in access to care now that more states have banned abortion.

Examining the potential impact of universal basic income on labor supply: Focusing on the South Korean models

AbstractOne of the most contentious facets of universal basic income (UBI) debates revolves around its impact on labor supply. Against this backdrop, this study aims to replicate how labor supply responds to changes in net income caused by the implementation of UBI. Using data from the 15th wave of the National Survey of Taxes and Benefits (N = 9342) and a discrete choice simulation model, this study estimated labor supply outcomes under two specific UBI models. The results suggest that UBI exerts minimal negative effects on labor supply among full‐time and part‐time workers and appears to encourage labor force entry among unemployed individuals. These findings offer empirical evidence on UBI's effects, suggesting it may support labor participation without substantial disincentives for employment.

Public Preferences and Willingness to Pay for Social Health Insurance in Iran: A Discrete Choice Experiment

Background: Current health insurance programs in Iran suffer from low enrolment and are not sufficient to attain the country to universal health coverage (UHC). The study hypothesized that improving the enrollment rate and moving towards more sustainable UHC can be achieved by improving the benefit package and providing new incentives. The objective of this study is to assess public preferences and willingness to pay (WTP) for social health insurance (SHI) in Iran. Methods: A discrete choice experiment (DCE) was conducted in 2022, using a self-administered questionnaire on 500 participants to estimate WTP and determine individual’s preferences for the SHI plan. Respondents were presented with an eight choice set, and asked to select their preferred one. In each choice set, scenarios were described by eight attributes with varying levels. The conditional logit regression model was used to analyze the participants preferences. WTP for each attribute was also calculated by STATA13. Results: Most of the included attributes were significant predictors of health insurance package selection. The maximum coverage of hospitalization costs in the private sector, ancillary services such as glasses, canes etc., as well as coverage for hospitalization costs in the public sector and drug costs, were the most important determining factors for this choice. Coverage of preventive dental care did not significantly affect respondent choices. Estimating WTP showed that individuals are willing to pay more for higher financial protection, particularly against private sector costs; the WTP to increase the coverage of hospitalization costs in the private sector from 50% to 90% is estimated at 362,068 IR, Rials per month. Conclusion: This study identifies the key factors that the population value with regard to health insurance and the tradeoffs they are willing to make between them. Hospitalization, drugs and ancillary services were the most important determining factors for their choice. The data suggests that additional resources coming into the Iranian health system might best be prioritized to covering hospitalization and drug costs and those associated with ancillary services.

Public Valuations of Managing Compromised Molars: A Discrete Choice Experiment.

There is limited evidence to support optimal patient-centered management for compromised first permanent molars (cFPM) in children. Based on an online discrete choice experiment (DCE), this study elicits UK adult general population preferences and calculates willingness to pay (WTP) for pathways to manage cFPM. The DCE was designed with information from semistructured interviews and literature reviews, as well as focus groups with an expert panel of dentists, citizens, and policy makers. A statistically optimal D-efficient design generated 18 choice tasks, split across 2 blocks. Each respondent answered one block of 9 tasks to reduce survey fatigue. Choice tasks varied across 5 attributes: type of treatment, provider of care, who makes the management decision, number of future visits avoided, and cost. An opt-out was included (no treatment). Conditional logit models (fixed effects) were used for data analysis, and marginal WTP for each attribute level was calculated. An overall 430 respondents completed the DCE. Respondents valued children receiving care as compared with not. Restoring a cFPM was valued equally to spontaneous or orthodontic gap closure. In contrast, having a partial gap, prosthetic replacement with a bridge, or a full unit gap was valued less than restoration or full gap closure. General dentists were preferred to dentists with enhanced skills, but there was no evidence of a preference for general dentists over specialists in pediatric dentistry. Respondents preferred to be wholly or partly involved in the decision-making process as opposed to the dentist making the decision alone. Respondents preferred less costly treatments and the avoidance of future dental work. Dental care service providers must consider service user preferences for health and nonhealth outcomes in any service redesign. Furthermore, the results provide marginal WTP estimates that can be used to value dental care services.

Preferences for the delivery of early abortion services in Australia: a discrete choice experiment.

Background Abortion is a common procedure in Australia; it is estimated that the rate is between 15 and 17 per 1000 women. Surgical and medical abortion options are available; however, the use of medical abortion is not as common as in other similar countries. The aim of this study is to understand preferences for the provision of early abortion services in Australia. Methods We conducted a survey of 821 members of an online panel representative of the Australian adult general population. The survey consisted of a discrete choice experiment including 16 choice tasks and a number of follow-up questions. A mixed logit model was used to analyse the responses to the discrete choice experiment. Results Respondents preferred services that provided surgical abortion compared with early medical abortion (EMA). They preferred consultations with a specialist gynaecologist compared with a general practitioner (GP); consultations with a GP were preferred to those with a nurse practitioner. Face-to-face consultations were preferred to telehealth. For EMA, respondents preferred to collect medication from the doctor's surgery rather than from a pharmacy or to receive it by post. Overall, respondents preferred lower-cost services. There were no differences in preferences between respondents with or without experience of abortion or between genders. Conclusions Respondents prefer abortion services with low out-of-pocket costs. Their reluctance to use a nurse-led service may reflect the general public's lack of understanding of and familiarity with the training and expertise of nurse practitioners. Similarly, the safety and benefits of EMA relative to surgery, including EMA delivered by telehealth, need to be emphasised.

Eliciting parents' decision-making to antibiotic use for upper respiratory tract infections: A discrete choice experiment.

Addressing antibiotic resistance is important for reducing parents' self-medication of antibiotics for children's upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs). However, the decision-making process for parents who irrationally use such antibiotics is still unclear. In this study, we aimed to explore the reasons why parents self-medicate antibiotics for children's URTIs based on a discrete choice experiment. We conducted a systematic review and in-depth interviews to identify the key attributes of choices when parents self-medicate antibiotics for children's URTIs. We developed and applied a discrete choice experiment in Wuhan and Chongqing, China. We used a mixed logit model to determine the impact of various attributes on parents' decisions, while we applied latent class logit models to explore different decision-making patterns within populations. A total of 400 valid responses were returned from parents. It was shown that symptom severity was the most important in parents' decision-making to self-medicate antibiotics for children's URTIs, followed by risk of side effects or resistance, duration, total cost, onset time of antibiotic, and antibiotic effectiveness. More severe and longer symptoms, perceived higher effectiveness, and fewer side effects of antibiotics consistently were significantly associated with parents' more likely to self-medicate with antibiotics for children's URTIs. There are also different patterns of decision-making of parents, including 'symptoms-oriented,' 'safety-oriented,' and 'comprehensive consideration.' Parents' gender and educational level were associated with decision-making patterns. Parents' self-medication of antibiotics for children's URTIs was mainly driven by symptoms, followed by perceived antibiotic value. We recommend a multi-faceted intervention strategy to enhance parents' ability to differentiate mild from severe URTIs, as well as their knowledge of antibiotics.

Incentivizing Rural Work Preferences Among Specialist Physicians: Protocol for a Discrete Choice Experiment.

Retaining specialist physicians in rural parts of India poses a fundamental challenge, which affects the health care system's functionality and provision of standard health care services. There has been an acute shortfall of specialist physicians in the fields of medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, and surgery at rural community health centers. This necessitates urgent policy focus to address the shortages and design effective rural retention strategies. In this study, which uses a discrete choice experiment (DCE), individuals choose from multiple-choice preferences that resemble hypothetical job descriptions. DCEs are a quantitative approach to assessing several aspects of job selection. This study aims to develop a detailed plan of a DCE method used to determine specialist physicians' job choices. This protocol outlines the DCE method, which uses an exploratory sequential mixed methods research design to understand specialist physicians' preferences and design reward packages that would effectively motivate them to work in underserved regions. The qualitative phase of the study involved identifying job attributes and their corresponding levels for the DCE. We followed a meticulous process, which included reviewing relevant literature, performing qualitative pilot work, conducting in-depth individual interviews, and consulting with medical and health experts.The quantitative phase involved generating a D-efficient orthogonal fractional factorial design using Ngene software to create choice scenarios using the identified job factors and their corresponding levels. The generated choice scenarios were blocked into 6 versions in 6 blocks. The DCE wasundertaken among final-year postgraduate medical residents and specialist physicians from several health care facilities in Rajasthan. Various statistical models will be applied to explore the response variability and quantify the trade-offs that participants are willing to make for nonmonetary features as a substitute for adjustments in the monetary attribute. After the ethics committee's approval of the study, the qualitative data collection phase occurred from September to December 2021, while the quantitative phase took place from May to August 2022. Six attributes and 14 levels were identified and established through qualitative surveys. The experimental design resulted in 36 choice situations, which were grouped into 6 blocks. The preliminary investigation demonstrated that the instrument was valid and reliable. Statistical data analysis has been initiated, and the principal findings are expected to be disseminated in January 2025. The protocol provides a systematic framework to assess specialist physicians' preferences regarding working in rural health care centers. This research has the potential to substantially influence the future of rural health care by laying the foundation for understanding specialist physicians' choices, which will help design future incentive schemes, policy interventions, and research. DERR1-10.2196/59621.

Cognitive and preference disparities of Chinese consumers regarding the disclosure of unsafe food recall information

IntroductionInformation disclosure is important in promoting unsafe food recalls and reducing potential food safety risks. However, the governance of unsafe food recall information in China is distorted, leading to cognitive dissonance in Chinese consumers’ perceptions of unsafe food recall information. Focusing on consumers’ search and cognitive costs, this study suggests that market regulators should proactively and fully disclose unsafe food recall information to satisfy consumers’ needs and preferences for recall information, thereby optimizing consumer perceptions and facilitating the improvement of the information governance system for unsafe food recalls.MethodsThis study administered a survey via a discrete choice experiment to obtain data from 1,010 consumers in China and employed multiple linear regression (MLR) to analyze the overall cognition and preferences of consumers regarding food recall information and identify differences in cognition and preferences regarding unsafe food recall information.ResultsChinese consumers experience cognitive dissonance regarding food recall information, and their utility can be improved through disclosure. They expressed preferences for recall information about food shops and distribution markets, more visualized hazard content, and new media presentations. Those who had purchased unsafe food, families with pregnant women or children, and those with more education were more concerned about recall information. Consumers’ information preferences also show a bystander mentality; however, consumers with higher educational levels are more altruistic.DiscussionThe results suggest that personalized, intuitive, and cognitively matched recall information can reduce consumers’ search and cognitive costs and increase their utility. This finding provides a reference and practical basis for establishing a food safety information governance system in China.

Insuring for cyclone events: What matters to small business owners?

AbstractUsing a discrete choice experiment, we examined the impact of previous disaster experiences, charity hazard, and temporal orientation on willingness to pay (WTP) for hypothetical cyclone insurance. We found that business owners preferred policies that covered flood, windstorm, and business interruption regardless of the combination. They also preferred shorter waiting periods and higher coverage levels. Respondents who had previously experienced cyclones were more willing to pay for the presented insurance policies than those who had not. Furthermore, future‐orientated owners were more likely to pay for the presented policies, while charity hazard was positively correlated with WTP for government‐provided insurance.

Assessing the Direct Impact of Death on Discrete Choice Experiment Utilities.

The dead state can affect the value sets derived from discrete choice experiments (DCEs). Our aim was to empirically assess the direct impact of the immediate death state on health utilities using discrete choice experiment with time (DCETTO). A sample of the general population in Quebec, Canada, completed two approaches: DCETTO followed by a best-worst scaling with time (BWSTTO) (hereafter referred to as DCEBWS), versus DCETTO followed by the dominated option and the immediate death state (hereafter referred to as DCEDOD), both designed with the SF-6Dv2. In DCEBWS, all participants first completed 10 DCETTO choices (i.e., option A vs B), followed by 3 BWSTTO. In DCEDOD, the same participants first completed the same 10 DCETTO choices, followed by a repeated choice between the dominated option (i.e., A or B) and the immediate death state. A conditional logit model was used to estimate value sets. The performance of models was assessed using goodness of fit using Bayesian information criterion, parameters' logical consistency, and levels' significance. The direct impact of the death state on DCE latent utilities was evaluated by examining the magnitude of coefficients, assessing the agreement among the value sets estimated by DCETTO with DCEBWS and with DCEDOD using Bland-Altman plots, the proportion of worst-than-dead(WTD) health states, and analyzing the range of estimated values. From 398 participants, a total of 348 participants were included for final analysis. The number of parameters with illogical consistency and non-significant coefficients was lower in DCEBWS. The observed consistency in the relative importance of dimensions across all approaches suggests a stable and reliable ranking. The utility range for DCEDOD (-0.921 to 1) was narrower than for DCETTO (-1.578 to 1) and DCEBWS (-1.150 to 1). The DCEDOD estimated a lower percentage of WTD health states (20.01 %) compared to DCETTO (47.19 %) and DCEBWS (33.73 %). The agreement between DCETTO and DCEBWS was slightlystronger than between DCETTO and DCEDOD, and the mean utility values were higher in DCEDOD than in DCEBWS. The inclusion of the immediate death state directly within DCE increased utility values. This increase was higher when the immediate death was included in a sequence within a DCETTO (i.e., DCEDOD) than when it was included in a continuum of DCETTO (i.e., DCEBWS). The use of DCEDOD was potentially better suited to incorporate the dead state into a DCE.

Value of Innovative Multiple Myeloma Treatments from Patient and Healthcare Provider Perspectives: Evidence from a Discrete Choice Experiment.

Although innovation generally provides measurable improvements in disease characteristics and patient survival, some benefits can remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate patient and healthcare provider (HCP) preferences for the innovative attributes of multiple myeloma (MM) treatments. A cross-sectional, web-based, discrete choice experiment (DCE) survey was conducted among 200 patients with MM and 30 HCPs of patients with MM in the USA. A literature review, followed by interviews with patients with MM and HCPs, was undertaken to select five attributes (progression-free survival [PFS], chance of severe side effects, how patients live with MM treatments, scientific innovation, and monthly out-of-pocket [OOP] cost) and their levels. A Bayesian efficient design was used to generate DCE choice sets. Each choice set comprised two hypothetical MM treatment alternatives described by the selected attributes and their levels. Each patient and HCP was asked to choose a preferred alternative from each of the 11 choice sets. Mixed logit and latent class models were developed to estimate patient and HCP preferences for the treatment attributes. Overall, patients and HCPs preferred increased PFS, less chance of severe side effects, a treatment that offered life without treatment, scientific innovation, and lower OOP cost. From patients' perspectives, PFS had the highest conditional relative importance (44.7%), followed by how patients live with MM treatments (21.6%) and scientific innovation (16.0%). In addition to PFS, patients and HCPs also valued innovative MM treatments that allowed them to live without treatments and/or offered scientific innovation. These attributes should be considered when evaluating MM treatments.

Rural parents’ route choices under different modes for school children drop-off and pick-up: a stated choice experiment

ABSTRACT Urbanization and school consolidation in rural areas have led to longer school commuting distances and changes in travel patterns, including increased use of private cars and e-bikes. As a result, greater parental involvement is needed to ensure safe and timely school commutes. This study explored how parents/guardians’ preferences for the built environment affect their route choices under different transportation modes in rural school commutes. Using a stated choice experiment and discrete choice models, the study identified key factors influencing route choices, such as travel distance and built environment characteristics like fewer road intersections, low traffic speeds, presence of sidewalks/bike lanes, road separation provisions, traffic lights, zebra crossings, green plants, and shops when walking, cycling, and riding an e-bike. The findings highlight the need to consider parents’ preferences when planning interventions and policies to enhance rural school travel, promote rural transportation and support diverse transportation modes in rural areas.

Exploring the social value and design preferences for a home-based dementia community program in Australia.

We study the monetary value and the relative importance of several program characteristics for an evidence-based intervention provided at home for people living with dementia and their carers in Australia. Using a discrete choice experiment, advised through an expert and consumer co-design approach, we consider the total number of sessions, the delivery mode, the primary outcome and focus of the program as well as its costs as attributes. Results from a representative sample of the Australian adult population show a high willingness to pay for the program overall, even greater than the actual costs. Choice data from 940 respondents show preferences for in-person sessions over telehealth options and respondents place a high value on improving mood and dementia-related behaviour as well as independence in daily activities. Preference heterogeneity shows that people who have experience with home care services place an even higher monetary value on the program, compared to the rest of the sample. In light of the increased emphasis of governments on expanding home care options over residential care, these results contribute towards the design and implementation of a home-based program for people with dementia and their carers and highlight its social value.

Revealing primary teachers' preferences for general characteristics of ICT-based teaching through discrete choice models

Revealing primary teachers' preferences for general characteristics of ICT-based teaching through discrete choice models

A binary choice model for adoption of an emerging travel mode with unique service features

In the era of emerging technologies, the transportation system is witnessing the introduction of innovative mobility services, such as autonomous vehicles, which possess unique service features that cannot be seen from conventional travel modes. To facilitate the understanding of the behavioral impacts and the adoption of innovative mobilities, a novel binary weibit model with an oddball alternative (BW-O) is developed for the binary choice between conventional and emerging mobilities. The BW-O model explicitly considers the unprecedented (or unique) service features of emerging travel modes while retaining the closed-form choice probability. This study empirically illustrates the application of the BW-O model in the mode choice context. The desirable properties of the BW-O model compared to the existing binary choice models are discussed both theoretically and empirically. In the binary mode choice problem with an emerging travel mode, the unique service features of the emerging mode can lead to the “oddball” effect and “superstar” effect, which play a critical role in the travel behavior and mode adoption. The BW-O model inherently captures both effects by considering a higher perception variance for the emerging mode and asymmetric choice probabilities between different modes. Thus, as revealed by the empirical results, the BW-O model outperforms the basic binary weibit model in terms of both model fit and predictive power. The developed BW-O model is not only applicable to the mode choice problem in transportation systems, but also opens a door for more general class-imbalanced binary choice contexts where an alternative has additional attractiveness and asymmetric choice probability.