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Subjective well-being and stated preferences: Explorations from a choice experiment in Norway

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  • Vondolia, Godwin K.
  • Hynes, Stephen
  • Armstrong, Claire W.
  • Chen, Wenting

Abstract

Subjective well-being valuation has recently grown in use with applications in the fields of environment, health, and cultural heritage. With this methodology values are based on how non-market goods impact on self-reported measures of well-being such as life satisfaction. Despite the differences in theoretical foundations of subjective well-being and preference-based valuation methods, recent applications have attempted to integrate both approaches without the complete understanding of the effects of subjective well-being on stated preference elicitation. The present study investigates the extent to which subjective well-being impacts the responses to a choice experiment in Norway. The results indicate that momentary subjective well-being does not induce a higher level of randomness in the stated choices but rather affects the preferences for attribute. We also find that self-reported well-being measures respond differently to the cost attribute in the choice experiment. Furthermore, we compute marginal willingness-to-pays for various subjective well-being categories and discuss the implications of these results for an integrated modelling of subjective well-being and preference-based valuation methods.

Suggested Citation

  • Vondolia, Godwin K. & Hynes, Stephen & Armstrong, Claire W. & Chen, Wenting, 2021. "Subjective well-being and stated preferences: Explorations from a choice experiment in Norway," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:soceco:v:91:y:2021:i:c:s2214804321000227
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socec.2021.101682
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    2. Kanzola, Anna-Maria & Papaioannou, Konstantina & Petrakis, Panagiotis E., 2023. "Environmental behavioral perceptions under uncertainty of alternative economic futures," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 190(C).
    3. Jingxiong Huang & Jiaqi Liang & Mengsheng Yang & Yuan Li, 2022. "Visual Preference Analysis and Planning Responses Based on Street View Images: A Case Study of Gulangyu Island, China," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-15, December.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    subjective wellbeing; uncertainty; stated preference; choice experiment; restoration;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q51 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Valuation of Environmental Effects
    • Q57 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Ecological Economics

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