Variation In Respondents Research Articles

PENGARUH KEPEMIMPINAN TERHADAP KINERJA BAGIAN PENGADAAN BARANG DAN JASA DI KABUPATEN ENDE

This study examines the impact of leadership on the purchasing performance of goods and services by the Ende Regency government. The government's provision of goods and services is critical to achieving national development goals as it drives economic growth, creates jobs, and improves community services. Structural Equation Model (SEM) analysis was used in this study with the SmartPLS 3.2.9 application. Respondents comprised 120 actors procuring goods and services, including regional apparatus organizations/apparatus work units and third-party work partner providers in Ende Regency. The descriptive statistical test results show that the leadership and performance variables have comparable average values, around 25.5, with sufficient variation in respondents' assessments. The measurement model test shows that the performance and leadership indicators are valid and highly reliable. The structural model test shows a significant relationship between leadership style and performance outcomes with a p-value of 0.000. Model evaluation shows a high level of fit, with an R square value of 46.3% and Q square of 0.260, and the proposed PLS model has strong predictive ability. These results suggest that effective leadership improves the smooth provision of goods and services in Ende Regency.

Perceptions and Bias of Small Business Leaders in Employing People with Different Types of Disabilities

PurposeDespite existing employment-related legislation and governmental programs, people with disabilities continue to face significant barriers to competitive employment. These obstacles are partially due to biases among employers regarding the contributions of people with disabilities and perceptions about accommodation costs, which can affect their hiring decisions. Existing research on employment barriers and facilitators often treats people with disabilities homogenously and focuses mainly on large companies. This study helps to fill these gaps by exploring the motivations and challenges small employers face when hiring people with disabilities and how their attitudes and willingness to hire vary based on disability type.MethodsWe surveyed business owners and decision-makers at companies with fewer than 100 employees resulting in a sample of 393 company respondents. Through descriptive analyses, we examined variations in respondents’ willingness to hire and the prevailing attitudes among the company leaders sampled. We explored how employer attitudes can either hinder or support the hiring of people with disabilities. We conducted multivariate analysis to explore the connections among attitudinal barriers, facilitators, and willingness to hire individuals with various disabilities, reflecting disability’s heterogeneous nature.ResultsOur findings reveal that, in terms of hiring people with disabilities, the most important concerns among employers are: inability to discipline, being unfamiliar with how to hire and accommodate, and uncertainty over accommodation costs. These concerns do not differ between employers covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and non-covered employers. However, ADA-coverage may make a difference as ADA-covered employers are more likely to say they would hire an applicant with a disability. We find that for small companies (less than 15 employees), the positive effect of the facilitators (positive perceptions about workers with disabilities) almost completely offsets the negative effect of the barriers. However, for the larger companies, the marginal effect for an additional barrier is significantly more predictive than for an additional facilitator. Among the disabilities we examined, employers are least likely to hire someone with blindness, followed by mental health disabilities, intellectual disabilities, deafness, and physical disabilities, underscoring that employers do not view all types of disabilities as equally desirable at work.ConclusionsUnderstanding small employers’ underlying concerns and effectively addressing those factors is crucial for developing effective intervention strategies to encourage small employers to hire and retain people with different disabilities. Our results suggest greater openness among ADA-covered employers to hiring people with disabilities, but the perceived barriers indicate a need for ongoing information on effective intervention strategies to increase disability hiring among all small employers.

Mapping the spatial transmission risk and public spatial awareness in the use of personal protective equipment: COVID-19 pandemic in East Java, Indonesia

This study aimed at developing a machine learning-based COVID-19 transmission risk spatial model and an analysis of the public spatial awareness in the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) in their spatial environment (i.e., a spatial-based COVID-19 transmission risk model). Random Forest model combined with Information Gain was used in this study. Twenty-three geospatial variables that passed a feature selection process were inputted to build a spatial-based COVID-19 transmission risk model. The validation outcome reveals that Random Forest (RF) model achieved excellent COVID-19 transmission risk prediction result (AUC value of 94.7%). Transmission risk modeling results show that the moderate-to-high class risk pattern was concentrated in residential areas with complex road infrastructure. The model showed that land use, road infrastructure, minimum temperature, and close to urban areas is important for spatial modeling of COVID-19 transmission risk. The results of the public spatial awareness analysis show variations in respondents' use of PPE based on their spatial environment. They tend to carry one PPE whose use increases significantly from low-risk to high-risk. While being indoor, the majority used hand sanitizer, and a face mask when being outdoor. Thus, developing a spatial-based COVID-19 transmission risk prediction linked with public spatial awareness can be used as a reference to establish health policies or regulations by decision-makers, health boards, and governments to control and simultaneously reduce the risk of transmission more effectively and efficiently.

Validation of the family focused mental health practice questionnaire in measuring health and social care professionals' family focused practice.

Parental mental illness is a major public health issue and there is growing evidence that family focused practice can improve outcomes for parents and their families. However, few reliable and valid instruments measure mental health and social care professionals' family focused practice. To explore the psychometric properties of the Family Focused Mental Health Practice Questionnaire in a population of health and social care professionals. Health and Social Care Professionals (n = 836) in Northern Ireland completed an adapted version of the Family Focused Mental Health Practice Questionnaire. Exploratory factor analysis was used to test the structure of the underlying dimensions in the questionnaire. The results, and theoretical considerations, guided construction of a model that could explain variation in respondents' items. This model was then validated using confirmatory factor analysis. Exploratory factor analysis revealed that solutions including 12 to 16 factors provided a good fit to the data and indicated underlying factors that could be meaningfully interpreted in line with existing literature. From these exploratory analyses, we derived a model that included 14 factors and tested this model with Confirmatory Factor Analysis. The results suggested 12 factors that summarized 46 items that were most optimal in reflecting family focused behaviours and professional and organizational factors. The 12 dimensions identified were meaningful and consistent with substantive theories: furthermore, their inter-correlations were consistent with known professional and organizational processes known to promote or hinder family focused practice. This psychometric evaluation reveals that the scale provides a meaningful measure of professionals' family focused practice within adult mental health and children's services, and the factors that hinder and enable practice in this area. The findings, therefore, support the use of this measure to benchmark and further develop family focused practice in both adult mental health and children's services.

Continuous usage intention for digital library systems among students at higher learning institutions: moderating role of academic involvement

PurposeThis research work aims to study the continuous usage intention of students for digital library systems in higher learning institutions (HLI). Additionally, keeping in mind the lack of focus on academic involvement of students in existing studies, this research work attempts to examine the moderating role of academic involvement in making up the continuous usage intention for digital library systems among students at HLI.Design/methodology/approachCross-sectional survey design is used in this study. Target population is students pursuing postgraduate studies and using digital library systems at private universities in the state of Uttarakhand, India. The Stratified random sampling method is used wherein each private university forms one stratum.FindingsThe results suggest that the students' continuous usage intention for digital library systems is significantly influenced by dimensions of digital library system quality, mediated by user satisfaction. Further, the level of academic involvement of students exerts moderating impact between dimensions of digital library system quality and user satisfaction; however, it d oes not exist between user satisfaction and their continuous usage intention.Research limitations/implicationsThis study contributes to the literature on academic involvement of students by highlighting its importance in the process of continuous usage intention. It also proposes a holistic conceptual framework for continuous usage intention for digital library systems among students and moderating impact of academic involvement. Being cross-sectional survey-based research, this study has certain limitations. Since responses were obtained at a single point in time, variation in respondents' behaviour could not be captured.Practical implicationsThe findings of the study can be helpful to the HLI, academic librarians, teachers, digital library systems service provider companies and government regulatory authorities. HLI need to put more effort into procuring subscriptions to reputed publications of e-books, e-research papers, e-magazines, e-reports, etc. for making digital library systems more beneficial for the students. Academic librarians need to be effortful towards building students' satisfaction through constantly upgrading software and systems and active interaction with students. Digital library systems service provider companies can also collaborate to customize their digital resources for different types of academic programs. The government can partnership with private companies for providing digital library systems in HLI.Originality/valueThis research work is the first of its kind in terms of studying the role of academic involvement of students for purpose of evaluating continuous usage intention for digital library systems among students studying in Indian HLI.

Factor analysis of community-ranked built environment factors contributing to pedestrian injury risk in Kampala city, Uganda

BackgroundExamining community perspective on an issue is not only a key consideration in research on road safety but also on other topics. There is substantial theoretical and empirical knowledge on...

Assessment of wetland ecosystem services and human wellbeing nexus in sub-Saharan Africa: Empirical evidence from a socio-ecological landscape of Ghana

In a rapidly urbanized socio-ecological landscape like that of the Keta Lagoon Complex Ramsar Site (KLCRS) with the increasing trend of anthropogenic and natural stresses, careful understanding of the relationship between ecosystem services (ESs) and human wellbeing (HWB) is central to its sustainability. We use subjective quantitative indicators and structural equation model (SEM) based on the MA framework to assess the complex relationship between ESs and HWB while considering the mediating effect of subjective social status (SSS). Using a semi-structured questionnaire, primary data was collected randomly from 794 household heads in six communities within the KLCRS enclave. SSS provided a good cumulative indicator of status across different aspects of socioeconomic standing. Our results showed that the contentment levels of provisioning, regulatory, and cultural ESs were low and moderate for most of the respondents, but there were significant community variations attributed to the differences in livelihood opportunities and prevailing environmental challenges. The study communities accounted for more than 40% of the variations in respondents' wellbeing levels. High and moderate levels of wellbeing exclusively coincided with areas where respondents had high and moderate contentment with each ESs. From the SEM, provisioning ESs had the strongest positive effect on respondents’ wellbeing and hence suggesting that HWB has mainly been achieved through provisioning ESs. Therefore, provision of alternative livelihood options, scaling-up restoration of vital habitat, and development of comprehensive strategic spatial plans were recommended to relevant stakeholders to help improve the capacity of the KLCRS to supply the regulatory services and the other ESs.

Combining education and income into a socioeconomic position score for use in studies of health inequalities

BackgroundIn studies of social inequalities in health, there is no consensus on the best measure of socioeconomic position (SEP). Moreover, subjective indicators are increasingly used to measure SEP. The aim of this paper was to develop a composite score for SEP based on weighted combinations of education and income in estimating subjective SEP, and examine how this score performs in predicting inequalities in health-related quality of life (HRQoL).MethodsWe used data from a comprehensive health survey from Northern Norway, conducted in 2015/16 (N = 21,083). A composite SEP score was developed using adjacent-category logistic regression of subjective SEP as a function of four education and four household income levels. Weights were derived based on these indicators’ coefficients in explaining variations in respondents’ subjective SEP. The composite SEP score was further applied to predict inequalities in HRQoL, measured by the EQ-5D and a visual analogue scale.ResultsEducation seemed to influence SEP the most, while income added weight primarily for the highest income category. The weights demonstrated clear non-linearities, with large jumps from the middle to the higher SEP score levels. Analyses of the composite SEP score indicated a clear social gradient in both HRQoL measures.ConclusionsWe provide new insights into the relative contribution of education and income as sources of SEP, both separately and in combination. Combining education and income into a composite SEP score produces more comprehensive estimates of the social gradient in health. A similar approach can be applied in any cohort study that includes education and income data.

Adaptation of Validity and Reliability of Indonesian Instruments of Attitudes towards Suicide (ATTS) with The Rasch Model Approach

Background: Indonesia has a suicide rate that continues to increase so suicide attempts need to be made. One of the early prevention steps is to find suicidal ideation. ATTS is a multi-dimensional measuring tool by measuring Cognitive, Affective and Behavioral aspects that is easy to fill, fast and precise in measuring attitudes towards suicide in the general population through large surveys than other instruments and ATTS is also not yet developed in Indonesia. Therefore, with the Rasch Model that can perform analysis at the item and respondent level, it is expected to produce a psychometric tool in preventing suicide in Indonesia.Purpose: The purpose of this study is to test the validity and reliability of the adaptation of the Attitudes Toward Suicide (ATTS) instrument into Indonesian using the RASCH model approach. Method: The method used is non-experimental with an analytical observational approach which is carried out cross-sectionally using the RASCH model with winstep software. The number of samples used was 243 residents with inclusion criteria of being adults (20-40 years) and knowing about suicide cases in Plered District, one of the sub-districts in Purwakarta Regency which had several suicide cases in 2020. This instrument consists of 73 questions.Result: The results showed a value of scale-level (S-CVI) = 0.89 and content validity ratio (S-CVR/UA) = 0.72. This value indicates a good quality of content validity. Analysis based on RASCH shows very good item reliability with a value of 0.98 but the result of person reliability is 0.27 which is caused by the lack of variation in respondents' answers in filling out the questionnaire. This also has an impact on Cronbach's alpha value = 0.32. The analysis is elaborated into four factors consisting of summary statistics, unidimensionality, item size, and Differential Item Functioning (DIF). The results show ideal results, but the pattern of person responses that are not diverse from the respondents causes a logit distribution that is not too far away and the variance is not large.Conclusion: it can be concluded that the consistency of respondents' answers is weak but the quality of the instrument questions in terms of reliability is good and can still be used to measure ATTS.

Knowledge and perspectives of health care providers towards clients with substance abuse at Solwezi General Hospital in Solwezi District

Introduction: Substance abuse is increasingly becoming a public health threat associated with varying health and social implications. Healthcare professionals are crucial in the management of substance abuse disorders, and their knowledge and perspectives towards substance abuse clients influences the care that these clients receive. Locally, there is scanty data on the knowledge and perspectives of health care providers towards substance abuse clients in Solwezi District. Objectives: The objectives of this study were to assess knowledge and perspectives of health care providers towards substance abuse clients at Solwezi General Hospital in Solwezi District. Materials & methods: A hospital-based cross sectional study was adopted for this study. Data collection was done using a self-administered semi-structured questionnaire adapted from previous studies. The SPSS software version 20.0 for Windows was used for data analysis using descriptive statistics and the Chi-square test for inference at the 0.05 level of significance. Results: The mean age of respondents was found to be 28.76 years. A female predominance over males was noted with a ratio of close to 5:1. Seventy-seven percent of respondents were Nurses by profession (77.3%), with the majority having attained Diploma as the highest level of education (60%). Overall, knowledge of substance abuse, screening tools and interventions for substance abuse was good. Variations in respondents’ perception of which health care provider was responsible for the assessment and management of substance abuse clients were noted. Priority on substance abuse cases was found to be low in 51% of the respondents, and several barriers to effective management of substance abuse were identified including lack of knowledge (41.4%), lack of manpower (20%), lack of specialized facilities (10%) and poor patient cooperation (16%). Statistically significant associations were found between respondent’s knowledge and interest to work with substance abuse clients; as well as between respondent’s education and priority placed on substance abuse cases. Conclusion: Health care providers exhibited adequate knowledge about substance abuse. However, low priority over substance abuse cases was reported, and attributed to a number of factors. This therefore calls for more training in substance abuse, particularly assessment and management of substance abuse clients in order to optimize health services rendered to substance abuse clients. Key words: Substance abuse, Clients, Knowledge, Perspectives, Health care providers

Knowledge and perspectives of health care providers towards clients with substance abuse at Solwezi General Hospital in Solwezi District

Introduction: Substance abuse is increasingly becoming a public health threat associated with varying health and social implications. Healthcare professionals are crucial in the management of substance abuse disorders, and their knowledge and perspectives towards substance abuse clients influences the care that these clients receive. Locally, there is scanty data on the knowledge and perspectives of health care providers towards substance abuse clients in Solwezi District.Objectives: The objectives of this study were to assess knowledge and perspectives of health care providers towards substance abuse clients at Solwezi General Hospital in Solwezi District.Materials & methods: A hospital-based cross sectional study was adopted for this study. Data collection was done using a self-administered semi-structured questionnaire adapted from previous studies. The SPSS software version 20.0 for Windows was used for data analysis using descriptive statistics and the Chi-square test for inference at the 0.05 level of significance.Results: The mean age of respondents was found to be 28.76 years. A female predominance over males was noted with a ratio of close to 5:1. Seventy-seven percent of respondents were Nurses by profession (77.3%), with the majority having attained Diploma as the highest level of education (60%). Overall, knowledge of substance abuse, screening tools and interventions for substance abuse was good. Variations in respondents’ perception of which health care provider was responsible for the assessment and management of substance abuse clients were noted. Priority on substance abuse cases was found to be low in 51% of the respondents, and several barriers to effective management of substance abuse were identified including lack of knowledge (41.4%), lack of manpower (20%), lack of specialized facilities (10%) and poor patient cooperation (16%). Statistically significant associations were found between respondent’s knowledge and interest to work with substance abuse clients; as well as between respondent’s education and priority placed on substance abuse cases.Conclusion: Health care providers exhibited adequate knowledge about substance abuse. However, low priority over substance abuse cases was reported, and attributed to a number of factors. This therefore calls for more training in substance abuse, particularly assessment and management of substance abuse clients in order to optimize health services rendered to substance abuse clients.

Cultural theory, rejection of cultural bias, and party preference

What explains party preference? Ideology and values do but these explanations are undertheorized. We offer grid-group cultural theory (CT) to provide a theory of ideology and values to explain party preference. We aim to demonstrate the value of an operationalization of CT that includes rejection of cultural bias (rejection of political values and beliefs) to explain party preference. Our study builds on research that recognizes the importance of negative partisanship and of rejecting cultural biases and other values in party choice. We analyze the influence of cultural biases on party preference in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. We find that respondents’ top two cultural biases explain up to a third of the variation in respondents’ party support in these Nordic multi-party systems and that rejection of cultural biases is an important determinant of party preference. We discuss how our analysis can be extended to other party systems including those with only two major parties.

Diverse perceptions of supply and demand of cultural ecosystem services offered by urban green spaces in Dhaka, Bangladesh

Abstract Understanding inhabitants' perceptions of cultural ecosystem services (CES) of urban green space will offer solutions to sustainability challenges. This study aimed to analyse the social perceptions of the supply and demand sides of CES in Dhaka City. A questionnaire-based social preference method was used. Questions in the survey concerned the respondents' satisfaction with green spaces, connected activities, limitations, CES preference and motivation. Descriptive and inferential statistics were applied to the 405 surveyed questionnaire data to understand variation in respondents' opinions. Respondents were mostly dissatisfied with the quantity of green spaces. Respondents' family status and age influenced their satisfaction with green space quantity. Single and teenage respondents prefer green space for active recreational activities, whereas young and old respondents preferred passive kinds of recreational activities. Both space-related issues and respondents' barriers limited CES provisioning. This contextual factor particularly affected female, single and young respondents. Respondents most preferred CES was recreation. Respondents' gender, family status and age are drivers for differing perceptions of the green space-based CES. To develop sustainable city planning in the face of global environmental change, those divergent perceptions should be taken into consideration through urban development strategies. Moreover, understanding the supply and demand sides of CES help facilitate a more inclusive planning process to address urban sustainability issues.

What do we measure when we measure perceptions of everyday discrimination?

RationaleThe Everyday Discrimination Scale forms the backbone of hundreds of studies documenting the health effects of perceived discrimination. Researchers regularly use the scale to examine specific types of discrimination (e.g., racial, ethnic, gender- and age-based) as well as discrimination more generally among the “general population.” To date, no study has analyzed the frameworks respondents use to interpret and answer the questions that comprise the scale. As such, what exactly researchers are measuring when they ask about “everyday discrimination” – and how this may vary within and across social groups – remains unknown. ObjectiveThis study analyzes data from cognitive interviews to assess patterns of interpretation and response to the EDS to assess whether the meaning of the resulting data may vary across diverse social groups. MethodsResearchers conducted structured cognitive interviews with a diverse sample of thirty-eight adults in the Southeastern United States (US). Interview transcripts were qualitatively analyzed using MAXQDA, in a process of reiterative coding. ResultsResults show that respondents interpret the survey questions in markedly different ways, with some interpreting the scale as asking about negative interactions; others viewing it through a lens of social inequalities; and still others through a lens specifically of racism. Racial/ethnic and gender statuses may structure question interpretation. ConclusionsPronounced and patterned variation in respondents’ interpretation raises questions about its validity. Findings underscore the importance of schemas for assessing the meaning of data generated by the EDS and for measuring the health effects of perceived discrimination and mistreatment.

Interplay of Personal Attitudinal Constructs towards online fashion products, Consumer Decision-Making and Image Branding: The Case of Online Fashion Products in Thailand in COVID 19 Pandemic

When it comes to online fashion, this research focused on the interaction between three factors: preferences for online fashion goods, consumer buying choices for online fashion products, and brand image. A descriptive correlational approach was used. A total of 184 sampled active online purchasers of fashion items from a population of 350 online buyers in Thailand participated in the research. The study was carried out with the use of tools that had been adopted. Descriptive data showed that respondents had a high preference for online marketing, a positive attitude towards online fashion goods, a high degree of consumer buying choices towards online fashion products, and a high preference for favorable brand image in the research. There were significant variations in respondents' preferences for online shopping as well as attitudes toward fashion items and consumer purchase decisions based on age, civil status, education, monthly income, and profession, according to the results of a test of difference. A further connection test revealed that respondents' liking for online marketing tends to improve their attitude toward online fashion items and consumer buying choices. In the end, the results of multiple regression analysis revealed that age, civil status and education level, online marketing approach, attitude towards online fashion goods, and brand image and attitude are all predictors of buying choices. The study's practical consequences for an internet business are addressed. The study's practical consequences for an internet business are addressed.

Beyond COVID-19: Prospect of telemedicine for obstetrics patients in Pakistan

ObjectiveTo explore obstetrics patients' experiences with telemedicine during COVID-19 and assess their intent for its future use. DesignAn exploratory design was applied considering that telemedicine was a new phenomenon in Pakistan particularly for antenatal care services during COVID-19. MethodPrimary data was collected through a telephonic survey of 132 respondents randomly selected from the pool of obstetrics patients who used telemedicine services of Shifa International Hospital (SIH) in Islamabad, Pakistan during the pandemic. We changed the survey tool of Medical Group Management Association to the study purpose. Required information included the respondents’ socioeconomic and antenatal characteristics and their telemedicine use experience on four parameters, namely, Appointment, Staff Attitude, Communication, and Telemedicine Services. Patients were inquired about their intent to use telemedicine beyond COVID-19 and the reasons supporting their answer. The data was analyzed descriptively and through t-test mean comparisons and binary logistic regression. ResultsMajority (54%) intend to use telemedicine in future. Average age of respondents was 30 years with gravidity 2.36, parity 1.40 and gestational amenorrhea 27.3 weeks. The respondents average schooling was 9.5 years, marriage duration was 4.5 years and monthly household income was PKR ∼83,000. However, the overall experience of those who were confident in future use of telemedicine was 0.677 points higher and significantly different than those who were not inclined to use it in future. Of those lacking interest in future use of telemedicine, nearly two-third felt in-person visit was more satisfying, 11% needed physical examination, ∼6% experienced long waiting time, 5% each had inadequate access to ICT and online payment facilities, and 6% faced other issues such as excess payments. The binary logistic regression analysis (R2 37.3%) held Medical Consultations and Communications as the most important determinants and could predict nearly two-fifth of variation in respondents’ intent for future use of telemedicine. ConclusionUptake of telemedicine for obstetrics patients is one of the positive externalities of COVID-19 and may appear as a cost-effective and culturally acceptable way to ensure universal coverage of antenatal care in Pakistan. However, telemedicine’s future beyond COVID-19 for obstetrics hinges upon improving users’ experience primarily through consultant and staff trainings and provision of effective communication e.g., in regional languages. Besides, offering physical examination facility and ability to use mobile wallet payment solutions may motivate future use of telemedicine in obstetrics.

Time-of-Day and Day-of-Week Variations in Amazon Mechanical Turk Survey Responses

Social science research studies are frequently conducted on Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk). I use data from four previous economics studies conducted on Amazon Mechanical Turk, with a total of 2780 observations, to study how participant characteristics and behaviors depend on the day of the week and time of day of participation. Most notably, Saturday participants are older, less educated, and more likely to have low income compared to other participants. Controlling for demographics, Saturday participants are more likely to answer objective knowledge questions correctly and to provide reasonable inflation forecasts, less likely to provide don't know responses, and less likely to use social media as a primary source of economic news. Night participants are less likely to get economic news from print sources such as newspapers. Standard data cleaning procedures typically neither reduce nor exacerbate these patterns. Implications of these findings are especially important for researchers designing high-frequency surveys of macroeconomic expectations intended to enable identification of the effects of monetary policy announcements or other events of interest via a high frequency approach. Systematic day-of-week variation in respondents' knowledge and reported expectations, if not properly accounted for, could threaten such an identification scheme.

Assessing subjective preferences for river quality improvements: combining Q-methodology and choice experiment data

ABSTRACT Choice decisions are inherently subjective but capturing and explaining nuanced variation in respondents’ attitudes is difficult and needs more than the simple socio-demographic variables traditionally used in economic research. In recent years, environmental economists have been shifting towards a more holistic approach to economic valuation, making an increased use of psychology within behavioural economics, to better understand subjective preferences on the environment. This research applies a novel mixed-methods approach to integrate the results from a Q-methodological analysis, which reveals respondents’ latent traits and perceptions about river management, into a choice experiment which estimates respondents’ preferences for potential future improvements to river water quality. The purpose is to improve the quantification of subjectivity within stated preference experiments. Q-methodology reveals five statistically distinct narratives (characterised as Ecological, Financial, Leadership, Collaboration, Legislation) which define the main perspectives respondents hold for river management strategies. Choice experiment results suggest subjectivity causes significant differences in respondents’ choice behaviour. Statistically verified Q-methodological narratives provide plausible explanations for differences in respondents’ choice preferences regarding river water quality improvements. By triangulating between quantitative and qualitative research methods, we demonstrate a research strategy that can contribute to a better understanding of the impact socially contested perspectives have on respondents’ choice behaviour.

Benefit-Risk or Risk-Benefit Trade-Offs? Another Look at Attribute Ordering Effects in a Pilot Choice Experiment.

Studies recommend randomising the order of attributes in discrete choice experiments (DCEs) to avoid bias; however, in a benefit-risk setting, this may increase the cognitive burden of respondents who compare the benefits and risks of treatments, or may affect their decision-making process. Based on these concerns, this paper explored attribute ordering effects in a benefit-risk DCE. Attribute ordering effects were explored in a large pilot DCE relating to the medical treatment of insomnia. Participants were randomised to one of three presentation orders: (1) benefits were presented before risks (BR); (2) risks were presented before benefits (RB); (3) all attributes were randomised (RN). For the RB and BR presentation orders, attributes were randomised within benefits and risks. Responses were assessed in three ways. First, variations in respondents' self-reported choice certainty were obtained. Second, variations in failure rates of stability and dominance tests were calculated. Third, a heteroscedastic error component model tested for differences in choice consistency across the three attribute orderings. The final analysis included 156 respondents (RN: 54; BR: 49; RB: 53). No differences were found between the presentation orders with respect to stated choice certainty, or the proportion of respondents failing either the dominance or stability test. However, deterministic attribute grouping was associated with higher choice consistency. To increase choice consistency, DCE attributes should be randomised within logical groups that may be further randomised to reduce the risk of ordering effects.

Class Perceptions and Attitudes Toward Immigration and Race Among Working‐Class Whites1

AbstractAs neighborhoods that were predominantly White become more racially and ethnically diverse, many Whites in those communities respond with feelings of threat and political shifts to the right. Trump's election in 2016 has often been attributed, at least in part, to such responses among members of the White working class. Building on this work, in the summer of 2017 (and thus after the election) we interviewed 77 working‐class White residents of three majority‐White cities from the Midwestern United States that had recently become more diverse due to an influx of Latino immigrants and/or an increase in native‐born racial minorities. Respondents were asked about their class identity, perceptions of change in their communities, and their attitudes about immigration and racial minorities. Contrary to prevailing narratives regarding the White working class, we found considerable variation in respondents’ reactions to these demographic changes. Notably, these differential reactions are organized by, and potentially rooted in, variation in class identity. Despite all being members of the working class, our respondents conceptualized their class identity according to three types—Class Conflict Aware, Working‐class Connected, and Working‐class Patriots—that were associated with more favorable or more antagonistic attitudes toward Latino immigrants and domestic racial minorities. This work, therefore, offers a more nuanced picture of how members of the White working class are responding to ethnoracial demographic changes in the nation.