The role of information in mail contingent valuation surveys: a study estimating wildlife benefits

Abstract

The contingent valuation method has been used with increasing frequency to estimate the value of nonmarket goods such as wildlife. Increasing use of and demand for the method has lead to the ~) increased use of mail surveys to collect value information. Themail format, however may place limitations the method's ability to generate acceptable value estimates. This study examined the effects of various amounts of information in the hypothetical market created in mail contingent valuation surveys.

The problem setting used to examine the information problem was the current controversy surrounding the pesticide carbofuran. This pesticide has some negative impacts on wildlife, most noticeably the bald eagle. Within this context, four different mail surveys were designed and mailed to Virginia residents. Each survey contained different amounts of information on the affects of carbofuranon wildlife. The impact of information on response rates, willingness to pay bids, and aggregate benefit estimates was then examined. The fllldings suggested that mail surveys with lengthy and complex contingent scenarios may tend to be less effective for commodities where respondents have had previous experiences analogous to those presented in the hypothetical market.