scholarly journals Household Willingness to Pay for Forest Ecological Restoration in Giant Panda Habitats: A Discrete Choice Experiment

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 1735
Author(s):  
Yijing Zhang ◽  
Huihui Wang ◽  
Wei Duan

Rural households have played an increasingly significant role in the conservation and restoration process of natural habitats. This paper explores rural households’ preference and willingness to pay for ecological restoration attributes in giant panda habitats using the discrete choice experiment (DCE). The DCE survey was conducted in and around giant panda habitats in Sichuan province with a sample size of 474. Using the mixed logit model, the results indicate that rural households have positive attitudes towards the improvement of ecological restoration functions, including forest vegetation restoration, biodiversity conservation, and giant panda corridor construction, but have a negative attitude towards payment, showing that rural households are inclined to pay less to gain better restoration outcomes. Among the ecological restoration attributes, forest vegetation restoration (4.44 RMB) wins the highest payment value, indicating households’ preferences and priorities of ecological restoration. In general, rural households’ willingness to pay could reach 34.28 RMB for the best choice option designed in DCE. This study emphasizes the awareness of payment among rural households to improve ecological restoration functions in giant panda habitats and indicates the importance of household participation in long-term adaptation and implementation of ecological conservation plans.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Danne ◽  
Saramena Meier-Sauthoff ◽  
Oliver Musshoff

Abstract Background: In order to achieve an environmentally friendly and sustainable energy supply, it is necessary that this goal is supported by society. In different countries worldwide it has been shown that one way consumers want to support the energy transition is by switching to green electricity. However, few people make the leap from their intention to a buying decision. This study explores parameters that influence whether German consumers would hypothetically decide to switch to a green electricity tariff.Methods: A quota-representative online survey including a discrete choice experiment with 371 German private households was conducted in 2016. For the econometric analysis, a generalized multinomial logit model in willingness to pay space was employed, enabling the estimation of WTP values to be as realistic as possible.Results: The results show that consumers’ decision whether or not to make the switch to green energy is mainly influenced by the source of green energy, whether a person can outsource the switching process, and a person’s attitude towards the renewable energy sources levy that currently exist in Germany.Conclusions: The findings indicate that politics should focus on supporting wind and solar energy as German consumers prefer these sources over biogas. As the results suggest, the EEG levy is a reason why consumers have lower WTP for switching to a green tariff. Therefore a switching bonus with a specifically “framed” bonus in the amount of the current EEG levy could be a promising strategy for the increase of green energy tariff acceptance. Furthermore, attention should be given to psychological and behavioral aspects, as the results indicate that these factors influence the consumer’s choice for a green electricity tariff.JEL classifications: C23, C25, Q40, Q50


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. e002209 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahari Yihdego ◽  
Ayanaw Amogne ◽  
Selamawit Desta ◽  
Yoonjoung Choi ◽  
Solomon Shiferaw ◽  
...  

IntroductionBirth registration remains limited in most low and middle-income countries. We investigated which characteristics of birth registration facilities might determine caregivers’ decisions to register children in Ethiopia.MethodsWe conducted a discrete choice experiment in randomly selected households in Addis Ababa and the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People’s Region. We interviewed caregivers of children 0–5 years old. We asked participants to make eight choices between pairs of hypothetical registration facilities. These facilities were characterised by six attributes selected through a literature review and consultations with local stakeholders. Levels of these attributes were assigned at random using a fractional design. We analysed the choice data using mixed logit models that account for heterogeneity in preferences across respondents. We calculated respondents’ willingness to pay to access registration facilities with specific attributes. We analysed all data separately by place of residence (urban vs rural).ResultsSeven hundred and five respondents made 5614 choices. They exhibited preferences for registration facilities that charged lower fees for birth certificates, that required shorter waiting time to complete procedures and that were located closer to their residence. Respondents preferred registration facilities that were open on weekends, and where they could complete procedures in a single visit. In urban areas, respondents also favoured registration facilities that remained open for extended hours on weekdays, and where the presence of only one of the parents was required for registration. There was significant heterogeneity between respondents in the utility derived from several attributes of registration facilities. Willingness to pay for access to registration facilities with particular attributes was larger in urban than rural areas.ConclusionIn these regions of Ethiopia, changes to the operating schedule of registration facilities and to application procedures might help improve registration rates. Discrete choice experiments can help orient initiatives aimed at improving birth registration.


Author(s):  
Erping Jia ◽  
Yuanyuan Gu ◽  
Yingying Peng ◽  
Xianglin Li ◽  
Xiao Shen ◽  
...  

Objectives: To elicit stated preferences of patients with non-communicable diseases (NCDs) for primary healthcare (PHC) facilities and to explore the willingness-to-pay (WTP) for facility attributes. Methods: A discrete choice experiment (DCE) was conducted through face to face interviews. The DCE survey was constructed by five attributes: type of service, treatment measures, cost, travel time, and care provider. Patients’ preferences and willingness to pay for facility attributes were analyzed using a mixed logit model, and interaction terms were used to assess preference heterogeneity among patients with different sociodemographic characteristics. Results: Patients placed different weights on attributes, depending on whether they perceived their health condition as minor or severe. For conditions perceived as minor, patients valued treatment measures (56.60%), travel time (32.34%) and care provider (8.51%) most. For conditions perceived as severe, they valued treatment measures (52.19%), care provider (38.69%), and type of service (7.30%) most. The WTP related to the change from Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) service to Modern Medicine (MM) service was the largest for both severity scenarios. For conditions perceived as minor, patients would be willing to pay 102.84 CNY (15.43 USD) for a reduction in travel time to below 30 min. For conditions perceived as severe, WTP related to the change from general service to specialized service and from junior medical practitioner to senior medical practitioner, were highly valued by respondents, worth 107.3 CNY (16.10 USD) and 565.8 CNY (84.87 USD), respectively. Conclusions: Factors related to the provision of PHC, such as treatment measures, care provider and type of service were highly valued. The findings could contribute to the design of better PHC delivery, improve the participation of patients in PHC, and provide some evidence to promote shared decision-making.


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