Mean Willingness Research Articles

Bystanders are less willing to resuscitate out-of-hospital cardiac arrest victims during the COVID-19 pandemic

AimThe COVID-19 pandemic may influence the willingness of bystanders to engage in resuscitation for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. We sought to determine if and how the pandemic has changed willingness to intervene, and the impact of personal protective equipment (PPE). MethodsWe distributed a 12-item survey to the general public through social media channels from June 4 to 23, 2020. We used 100-point scales to inquire about participants’ willingness to perform interventions on “strangers or unfamiliar persons” and “family members or familiar persons”, and compared mean willingness during time periods prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic using paired t-tests. ResultsSurvey participants (n=1360) were from 26 countries; the median age was 38 years (IQR 24–50) and 45% were female. Compared to prior to the pandemic, there were significant decreases in willingness to check for breathing or a pulse (mean difference −10.7% [95%CI −11.8, −9.6] for stranger/unfamiliar persons, −1.2% [95%CI −1.6, −0.8] for family/familiar persons), perform chest compressions (−14.3% [95%CI −15.6, −13.0], −1.6% [95%CI −2.1, −1.1]), provide rescue breaths (−19.5% [95%CI −20.9, −18.1], −5.5% [95%CI −6.4, −4.6]), and apply an automated external defibrillator (−4.8% [95%CI −5.7, −4.0], −0.9% [95%CI −1.3, −0.5]) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Willingness to intervene increased significantly if PPE was available (+8.3% [95%CI 7.2, 9.5] for stranger/unfamiliar, and +1.4% [95%CI 0.8, 1.9] for family/familiar persons). ConclusionWillingness to perform bystander resuscitation during the pandemic decreased, however this was ameliorated if simple PPE were available.

Willingness to pay of trail runners for sustainable country park use in Hong Kong

Trail running has evolved from a fringe to mainstream activity but is associated with a rise in adverse environmental impacts including trail degradation, littering and disturbance of wildlife. This study explores the preferences of trail running race participants for sustainable use of country parks in Hong Kong. We use a face-to-face survey and discrete choice experiment methodology to measure the willingness to pay of race participants for the provision of drinking water fountains, biodiversity conservation, trail maintenance and green auditing of race events. The results suggest that there is a latent desire among trail runners to contribute to the preservation of natural areas through a surcharge on top of race entry fees. Mean willingness to pay for the provision of drinking water, conservation of biodiversity and trail maintenance is estimated in 2018 to be USD 12, USD 19 and USD 24 respectively. Furthermore, from stakeholder interviews it is concluded that the proposed fund-raising mechanism of a surcharge on top of the race entry fee would be readily accepted by trail runners, race organisers, NGOs and the government. This paper presents a practical and acceptable model that tackles environmental degradation caused by trail running whilst instigating a more democratic management approach between the government and other park stakeholders.

Tourist intentions to donate to non-lethal feral cat management at a potential natural World Heritage site in Japan

ABSTRACT Feral cat management needs cooperation, including financial support, from a variety of stakeholders. We used a payment card approach to investigate the willingness of tourists to donate to non-lethal feral cat management at a potential natural World Heritage site on Amami Oshima Island in Japan. We found that more than 80% of tourists intended to donate funds to non-lethal feral cat management, and the mean willingness to donate was about USD $14 (1374.1 JPY). The rate of participation in the donation was higher than that found in previous studies, and the amount of intention to donate was large enough to support non-lethal cat management. Respondent income and attitudes toward lethal options affected intentions to donate. Those who valued the island farmland also had a higher intention to donate. Our findings provide useful information for the implementation of feral cat management strategies to conserve biodiversity while minimizing conflict.

English

This study analyzes the market potential of the underutilized indigenous Morama (Tylosema esculentum) products by determining the consumers’ preferences and willingness to pay. Simple random sampling was used to select 372 respondents to participate in the cross-sectional survey. Contingent valuation method was used to determine the customers’ willingness to pay and the two-step Heckman selection model was employed to analyze the factors that influence the willingness to pay for the different Morama products. The majority of the respondents were knowledgeable of Morama and its product; consequently 84% showed interest in purchasing products developed from Morama. About 90% were willing to purchase Morama oil whereas 87% were willing to purchase Morama butter at least twice a month and 82% would be willing to buy Morama snack bar at least three times a month. The results indicate that Morama products have the potential to penetrate the market and hence can be used to improve both the standard of living for rural communities and household food security and thus alleviate poverty. The mean willingness to pay for Morama oil and butter are comparable to the conventional product, indicating that these products have good market prospects and can compete and potentially substitute the current products if domesticated and commercialised. Key words: Morama, market prospects, willingness to pay, consumers’ preferences, two-step Heckman selection model, contingent valuation.  

Logit model application for valuating intangible benefits from the afforested areas

PurposeThe estimation of market value of intangible benefits of afforestation has always been a challenging task, and the contingent valuation method is a popular method used in environmental assessment. The NTPC set up a coal-based power plant in Korba, India and planted 1.6 million trees on 19% of the project area.Design/methodology/approachThe individual's mean and median willingness to pay (WTP) for four intangible benefits, namely, pollution control (PC), improvement in underground water level (IUGWL), soil conservation and remediation (SCR) in addition to total WTP from the afforestation program of NTPC were estimated using a customized procedure for logit model based upon respondent's age, education, occupation, income and bid amount asked to pay. Stratified multistage random sampling has been used to select the respondents.FindingsThe procedure increases the number of respondents who are willing to pay as compared to conventional CVM. The finding of the study shows that the highest WTP was observed for PC (Rs. 462.84 per month per household) followed by SCR and IUGWL, whereas for total WTP it was Rs. 972.60.Originality/valueThe proposed customized procedure and the results thereof would be useful in improving the WTP estimates for other similar studies in order to conserve the environment.

Economic Valuation of Green Electricity Sources in Pakistan

Green electricity, which comes from renewable sources such as wind, hydro and solar, are well appreciated for their being environment friendly. The advantage of these sources are apparent in part of already natural environment. Moreover, this modern form of electricity also contributes in the poverty alleviation in developing countries, which is one of the sustainable development goals (SDG). The objective of this study is to explore electricity consumers’ willingness to pay for the sustainable energy by employing the contingent valuation method (CVM). The respondents were divided into two broad categories of urban and rural consumers. A total of 400 respondents from urban and 405 respondents from rural areas were selected for this study. The CVM calculated the overall price of green electricity for the improvement of environment through increasing the share of electricity from renewable energy sources. The widely used WTP measure double-bounded dichotomous was utilised to elicit the appropriate value of green electricity from the bid price. The results from the logit regressions showed that the respondents with high income and a higher level of education are willing to pay more for green electricity in both urban and rural models. However, results also revealed that the willingness to pay for green electricity is high in younger people than older people. The mean willingness to pay has found 0.33 cents per kWh in the urban model, while is 0.24 in the rural model. The results provided a guideline to the government to charge an appropriate surcharge from the consumers in order to enhance the share of green electricity in energy mix.

Attitudes of the Public to Receiving Medical Care during Emergencies through Remote Physician-Patient Communications.

Providing health services through remote communications for sub-acute health issues during emergencies may help reduce the burden of the health care system and increase availability of care. This study aimed to investigate the attitudes of the public towards receiving medical services and providing medical information through remote communication in times of emergencies. During the pandemic outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), pandemic outbreak, 507 participants answered a structured online survey, rating their mean willingness to receive medical care and provide medical information, on a four-point Likert scale. Furthermore, demographic characteristics, social media use, and trust in data protection was collected. The mean willingness to receive medical services was 3.1 ± 0.6 and the mean willingness to provide medical information was 3.0 ± 0.7, with a strong significant correlation between the two (r = 0.76). The multiple regression model identified higher trust in data protection, level of education, and social media use as statistically significant predictors for a higher willingness to receive medical information while the first two predicted willingness to provide information. The findings suggest an overall positive attitude to receive medical care through remote communications.

Household’s Willingness to Pay for the Expansion of Mataasna Bayan and Sinisian East Marine Protected Area in Lemery, Batangas, Philippines

The study was conducted primarily to 1) identify the socio-economic and the knowledge, attitude and perception (KAP) factors that affect the WTP of the households; 2) determine the socio-economic factors affecting the KAP of households; and 3) determine the mean willingness to pay (WTP) of households of four barangays of Lemery, Batangas: Mataasna Bayan and Sinisian East as on-site barangays and Balanga and Sinisian West as off-site barangays of the Marine Protected Area (MPA). A total of 316 respondents were surveyed following the contingent valuation method (CVM). Results showed that the mean WTP of the respondents amounts to PhP 46.47 per month. Among factors influencing their WTP are KAP variables such as knowledge on MPA, knowledge on MPA as fish habitat, perception on the need of MPA protection led by the Barangay, perception if there is anything to be changed in MPA management, and socio-economic variables like gender, income-expenses ratio and distance from the MPA. Using the mean WTP, the computed social benefit derived by the on-site and off-site MPA communities from coral reef conservation-based from their WTP amounted to PhP 999,215.734 per year.

Farmers' responsibilization in payment for environmental services: Lessons from community forestry in Nepal

As attention to individual responsibility and the potential for self-realization through responsibilization grows, there is a need for better understanding of how environmental governance is also changing. In considering changes in community forestry priorities, from reversing deforestation to environmental governance, it is essential to understand how environmental responsibilities are being shifted to individuals and how people react to particular environmental conditions within such changes. In community forestry, farmers` decisions to receive and provide environmental services are guided by rational choices and market mechanisms. This study assessed how farmers value irrigation water supply services from community forests based on the economic and environmental importance of these services. The study also investigated whether responsibilization persists and reframes individual choices to pay for environmental services. Rajapani community forest user group in Rupandehi district, Nepal, was selected for the study due to its ongoing procedures to supply water for irrigation in the village. For data collection farmers were purposively selected to represent different well-being status, gender and distance of paddy field from the water source. Contingent valuation and focus group discussions were employed as research methods. The study revealed that mean willingness of the farmers to pay was USD 77.13 per ha per year for irrigation water. Distance from paddy field to water source, well-being status, education, age, gender and caste of the farmers were tested against willingness to pay (WTP). Pearson correlation tests showed distance of paddy field from water source, well-being status and gender have a substantial influence on the individual's WTP. Farmers also expressed substantial concern for the sustainability of water resources, and were exposed to responsibilizing discourses mainly because they were willing to emphasize personal action to respond to the situation and overcome potential imposed threats of climate change. The shifting forms of environmental governance have implications for responsibilizing service providers and receivers in payment for environmental services, and opens a new discourse in community forestry.

Myocardial infarction: Economic, health, and social impacts on informal caregivers.

The aim of the study was to measure the economic impact of informal care (IC) on caregivers assisting myocardial infarction (MI) survivors in France. Health and social impacts were also described. Data from the prospective 2008 Health and Disabilities Households Survey (Enquête Handicap-Santé), carried out among the French general population, were used to obtain information about patients with MI and their informal caregivers. To estimate the approximate monetary value of IC, three methods were used: the proxy good method, opportunity cost method (OCM), and contingent valuation method (CVM). A multivariate analysis was performed to determine the associations of the IC duration and the existence of professional care with the health indicators stated by caregivers. The analysis included data from 147 caregivers. The mean value of IC ranged from €9,679 per year using the CVM to €11,288 per year using the OCM (p > .05). The mean willingness to pay for an additional hour of IC was €10.9 (SD = 8.3). A total of 46.2 percent of caregivers reported that IC negatively affected theirs physical condition, and 46.3 percent reported that it negatively affected their psychological health. In addition, 40.1 percent declared that caregiving activity made them anxious and 38.8 percent stated they felt alone. Associations were identified between the duration of IC and feeling the need to be replaced, feeling alone and making sacrifices (p < .05). Informal caregiver burden may be recognized in health technology assessment in order not to underestimate the cost of strategies and to facilitate the comparability of cost-effectiveness outcomes between studies.

Willingness to pay for church forest conservation: a case study in northwestern Ethiopia

Church forests provide a safe habitat for plants and animals, sources of food and traditional medicine, seed bank for native tree species, reduce soil erosion and rich in biodiversity. But the economic values of these important benefits of church forests were not well documented. Therefore, this study was conducted to estimate the mean and total willingness to pay for church forest conservation using open-ended and double bounded contingent valuation formats. In doing so, both cash and labour contributions were used to measure the respondents’ willingness to pay. Primary data were collected from 300 randomly selected households and analyzed using descriptive statistics and bivariate probit model. The estimated mean willingness to pay from the double bounded format (239.79 Ethiopian Birr) is higher than from the open-ended format (178 Ethiopian Birr). Similarly, the estimated mean willingness to contribute labour was also 71.51 and 94.34 man-days for the open-ended and double bounded contingent valuation format, respectively. The comparison indicated that the mean and total willingness to pay from the double bounded format is higher than in the open-ended format. Therefore, researchers, policymakers, and forestry experts should give special attention to the double bounded format rather than to the open-ended format to elicit respondents’ willingness to pay for the conservation of church forests.

Willingness to Pay for hbox {CO}_2 Emission Reductions in Passenger Car Transport

Passenger car transportation is a major contributor to global carbon emissions. Despite a range of policy measures, the European passenger car fleet remains largely running on fossil fuels. It is questionable whether the lack of emission reductions can be attributed to a lack of consumer preferences for low-emission cars because consumers may have imperfect information about cars’ emissions and the availability of clean cars remains limited. This paper investigates the preferences of consumers for emission reductions in passenger car transport. We estimate the willingness to pay of passenger car buyers for hbox {CO}_2 emission reductions by means of a choice experiment amongst a sample of 1471 individuals that represents the Dutch adult population with the intention to buy a car. The main results are that the mean willingness to pay for emission reductions equals €199 per tonne, and that the majority of individuals is willing to pay more than the current market premium for two selected hybrid types. These results suggest there is a large market potential for emission reductions in passenger car transport. Our findings imply that providing consumers with trustworthy information can be considered a key policy tool for achieving emission reductions in passenger car transport.

Valuing public acceptance of alternative-fuel buses using a Latent Class Tobit model: A case study in Valencia

The introduction of hybrid electric technology for urban public transportation can be considered a valuable stepping stone to low-carbon mobility. Using the contingent valuation method, a sample of 427 respondents were asked about their willingness to pay for the air pollution reductions associated to a scenario of gradual introduction of hybrid electric buses in Valencia, Spain. Results show that 67% of the respondents are willing to pay extra for the adoption of this electric hybrid technology, being the mean willingness to pay € 0.33 per single bus fare. This would imply a 22% hypothetical increase in current bus fares and shows that public acceptance is critical for the successful introduction of these new low-emissions vehicles. Further, this paper differs from previous research in that it addresses the issue of heterogeneity among respondents. Thus, using latent class analysis, based on questions about environmental concerns, we identify three different classes of respondents: high, medium and low environmentally concerned. Mean willingness to pay for each class ranges from €0.25 to €0.38. Then we analyze willingness to pay determinants through the estimation of a Tobit model for each class of respondents. This reaffirms the existence of heterogeneity and accordingly suggests that treating the population as a single homogeneous group of respondents, as is common in the existing literature, may lead to biased parameter estimates and flawed decision-making regarding climate change action.

Willingness to pay for an early warning system for infectious diseases

Early warning systems for infectious diseases and foodborne outbreaks are designed with the aim of increasing the health safety of citizens. As a first step to determine whether investing in such a system offers value for money, this study used contingent valuation to estimate people’s willingness to pay for such an early warning system in six European countries. The contingent valuation experiment was conducted through online questionnaires administered in February to March 2018 to cross-sectional, representative samples in the UK, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Italy, and The Netherlands, yielding a total sample size of 3140. Mean willingness to pay for an early warning system was €21.80 (median €10.00) per household per month. Pooled regression results indicate that willingness to pay increased with household income and risk aversion, while they decreased with age. Overall, our results indicate that approximately 80–90% of people would be willing to pay for an increase in health safety in the form of an early warning system for infectious diseases and food-borne outbreaks. However, our results have to be interpreted in light of the usual drawbacks of willingness to pay experiments.

Households’ Willingness to Pay for Biofuel Gel in Lagos State, Nigeria: A Contingent Valuation Study

The study was carried out to determine the willingness to pay (WTP) for Biofuel gel among households in Lagos State, Nigeria. A total of one hundred and seventy-five households using multiple sampling procedure were interviewed using a well-structured questionnaire. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and Logit regression model. The study showed that the mean willingness to pay for Biofuel gel was ₦280 (US $0.78) per litre. The study further revealed that there was significant relationship between the socio-economic characteristics of the households and their willingness to pay for biofuel gel. Variables such as bid amount and household income had significant effect on the willingness to pay for biofuel at 1%. Bid amount had a negative coefficient of -0.0233655 on willingness to pay for biofuel gel. The study therefore recommends that price policies can be implemented in the form of price subsidies to foster the consumption of biofuel gel (clean fuels) in the study area, as respondents are more sensitive when it comes to their wallets and had identified high cost of the product as a major constraint for not consuming biofuel gel.

Households Willingness to Pay for Improved Water Services: The Case of Burayu Town Administration: Application of Contingent Valuation Method

This study is initiated by the current deep rooted problem of improved water supply prevailing in Burayu town and its primary objective is to estimate mean willingness to pay of households using contingent valuation method. A total of 239 sampled households are interviewed in person. A single bounded closed ended followed by open-ended format were used to elicit willingness to pay for improved water. Of 217 respondents 160(73.3%) accepted bid values of improved water provided to them. The data was analyzed both in descriptive and econometric models. The probit and tobit models were used for empirical analyses. In closed ended format, the households’ mean willingness to pay for one Jeri can of improved water was 31.5 cents and 42.7 cents in open ended format. Households characteristics’ such as age, income, occupation and education are positively determine the probability of accepting the given bid value of improved water. The bid value, dummy variables such as source of water, quantity and quality negatively affect the willingness to pay for improved water in probit model. Those variables affecting the likely of willingness to pay positively also have the same sign in tobit model of determining the maximum willingness to pay. The aggregate willingness to pay of households was estimated to be 1613942.62 birr per month. The current average revenue of the town’s water supply and sewerage enterprise is estimated to 515009.95 birr for one per month. The study revealed that households are willing to pay more of the current tariff blocks for improvement. Therefore if the improvement scenario comes to effect in one way it solves the shortage of improved water problems in the other way the town’s water supply and sewerage enterprise can collect more revenue from service charges. Keywords: Willingness to pay, Contingent valuation, Use value and Non-use value. DOI: 10.7176/JESD/11-3-01 Publication date: February 29 th 2020

Valuing inland blue space: A contingent valuation study of two large freshwater lakes.

Water bodies, or blue spaces, offer a range of health and well-being benefits. Many of these benefits occur in waterside spaces and do not require direct water contact. For example, non-water based physical activity (e.g. walking and running) and reduced stress as a result of viewing water from a distance. However, research dedicated to understanding the economic impact of changes to freshwater ecosystems predominantly focuses on water-based recreation and water quality. As a result, the economic impacts of changes to waterside space are often overlooked. This study used the contingent valuation method to determine public preference for the protection of lakeside quality, in terms of lake views, path quality and lakeside access, at two large freshwater lakes in Scotland (Loch Lomond and Loch Leven). The aim of the study was to estimate willingness to pay among a sample of adults in Scotland (n=1056) for the protection of lakeside quality. Results indicate that the majority of respondents are willing to pay for the preservation of lakeside quality at each lake. Based upon the most conservative estimates obtained, mean willingness to pay for the protection of lakeside quality was £12.06 per household per year at Loch Lomond and £8.44 at Loch Leven. These findings provide valuable economic data and suggest that changes to waterside space at destination water bodies have nationally important economic impacts. Greater consideration of the economic impact of changes to lakeside space is recommended in order to develop cost-effective and socially optimal water resource management policies at large freshwater lakes.

The economic value of sustainable recycling and waste management policies: The case of a waste management crisis in South Korea

The price of recyclable waste has declined, and China is refusing solid waste imports. As a result, recycling companies in South Korea are refusing to collect recyclable waste, which caused a solid waste management crisis in April 2018. Due to this crisis, many people are unable to discard their recyclable waste. This study aims to assess the economic value of a sustainable recycling and waste management policy to solve the waste management crisis. The analysis in this study is divided into two parts: The first part estimates the inconvenience costs to residents using a contingent valuation method, whereas the second part analyzes the preferences for a new policy using a mixed logit model with a choice experiment. The results show that mean willingness to pay (WTP) per household is 41,234 (USD 36.96) KRW/year; the total WTP would be able to increase the total disposal capacity by up to 4.51%. In addition, at an adequate price level for the policy alternative, the policy acceptance rate suggests that the price of biodegradable volume-rate disposal bags should increase by no more than KRW 66 (USD 0.06) per bag. This study provides guidance to policy makers who wish to consider both validity and acceptability.

Economic valuation of ecosystem services of Lake Dambal in Oromia regional state, Ethiopia

Protecting Lake Ecosystem is crucial not only to protect this country’s public and economic health, but also to preserve and to restore the natural environment for all aquatic and terrestrial living things. Even if the Dambal is known for its` multifuctionality and rich in it’s` lake resources, some parts of this lake is now degraded. This study was initiated to estimate households’ mean willingness to pay (WTP) for the protection of the lake and to identify factors that affects the maximum willingness to pay for protection of Dambal lake. To meet these objectives, data from 237 rural households were collected using multi stage random sampling procedures. In the study both descriptive and econometrics analysis are employed. Econometric models such as, seemingly unrelated bivariate probit and double hurdle models were used to estimate mean WTP and determinants of WTP, respectively. Factors such as age of household head, credit acess, distance from home to the lake, frequency of extension contact and participation in lake conservation practices have significant effect on the households’ WTP. Thus, critical consideration of such factors is pertinent to increase the level of public support towards the rehabilitation intervention. Econometric models such as, seemingly unrelated bivariate probit and double hurdle models were used to estimate mean WTP and determinants of WTP, respectively. The result shows that the mean WTP values from double bounded dichotomous choice ranges From 195.5 to 250.7ETB per year per household. Therefore, the aggregate welfare gain expected from the protection intervention ranges from 5,540,733.6 to 6,352,405.1 per year.

Economic valuation of improved irrigation water use: the case of Meskan District, Southern Ethiopia

The economic value of water is essential for the rational allocation of the scarce water resource as its availability has become a problem in many countries of the world. This study specifically aimed to assess the households’ willingness to pay decision and to estimate farmers’ willingness to pay for improved irrigation water use. The primary was data collected from 210 households selected through a multistage sampling technique followed by a probability proportional to sample size while it was also supplemented by secondary data. Double-bounded dichotomous choices with follow-up open-ended questions of contingent valuation methods were employed. The result of the study showed that all of the households were willing to pay for improved irrigation water use. The mean willingness to pay for the use of improved irrigation water from the double-bounded dichotomous question of Seemingly Unrelated Bivariate Probit model was Birr 829.46 per year per timad (0.25 ha). On the other hand, the mean willingness to pay from open-ended questions was Birr 726.55 per year per timad (0.25 ha). The respective total aggregate value of improved irrigation water use in the study varies from 33,421,300 birr in open ended to 38,155,160 birr from double bound. Thus, appropriate irrigation water pricing will make the user more aware of the resource scarcity. Therefore, the study suggests a good indicator for the concerned body to invest in expanding the current irrigation projects and introducing proper irrigation water pricing, creating more value for improved irrigation, leading to efficient management of the improved system.