Can respondent uncertainty be ignored when exploring heterogeneity in public preferences for air pollution treatment policies? Comparative results from choice experiment analysis

Background: Complex health and social care interventions impact on a multitude of outcomes. One such intervention is the Family Nurse Partnership (FNP) programme, which was introduced to support young, first-time mothers. Our study quantified the relative values that the general public place on the outcomes of FNP, as they were identified and measured in the relevant randomized trial, Building Blocks trial (BBs). Methods: A discrete choice experiment (DCE) was employed. Respondents chose between two scenarios describing hypothetical sets of trial outcomes. BBs compared FNP care for teenagers expecting their first child with standard NHS care. 14 attributes covered three areas: pregnancy and birth, child development and maternal life course. Due to large number of attributes, a “blocked attributes” approach was adopted: the attributes were split across four designs which contained two common attributes. Data were analysed separately for each design as well as pooled across four designs. Random effects probit model was employed for the analysis. Results: Over 1000 participants completed four designs. The analyses on the separate designs and those on pooled data yielded broadly similar results. Respondents valued higher the outcomes related to child development and their needs, followed by the outcomes related to maternal life course. Preferences varied by the age of the respondents but not by their guardianship/parentship status. Conclusions: Individual preferences were consistent with a priori expectations and were intuitive. The DCE results can be used to incorporate the general public preferences into the decision making process for which public health and social care policies should be adopted.

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Economic Valuation of the Renewal of Urban Streets: A Choice Experiment

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12124808 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (12) ◽

pp. 4808

Author(s):

Yuhan Shao ◽

Xinyu Xu ◽

Like Jiang ◽

Romain Crastes dit Sourd

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Choice Experiment ◽

Online Survey ◽

Economic Valuation ◽

Cost Benefit ◽

Public Preferences ◽

Strong Basis ◽

Urban Street ◽

Cost Benefit Ratio ◽

Bicycle Lane

Examination of users’ preferences and needs can provide an additional and strong basis for decision making, which is applicable in the case of urban street renewal. In this study, a choice experiment on street renewal plans in Shanghai was conducted using an online survey (N = 546), and people’s willingness to pay (WTP) for a set of street attributes was estimated, including bicycle lane separation, pedestrian path width, green looking ratio and recreational and commercial amenities. By comparing WTPs, the results show that people had greater preferences for adding resting facilities than any other attributes in this scene, and they also give some examples of prices of street attributes in a street renewal scene. The gender, age and occupation of participants had a significant effect on WTPs. Females showed greater WTP for setting separate bicycle lanes and improving greening and amenities, and the age of street users had a positive effect on WTP through the payment for street renewal. The reasoning section of the survey indicated the concern on the cost–benefit ratio, the need to renew and overall impression when choosing, and only a few participants were unwilling to pay anything for street improvement. This kind of economic valuation can estimate the values that people place on street attributes that are otherwise not measurable in design and planning practice; it can help us understand public preferences for street renewal and support decision making.

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