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Non-Attendance to Attribute Non-Attendance in Stated Preference Research

Author

Listed:
  • Paul R. Hindsley
  • Owen A. Morgan
  • John C. Whitehead

Abstract

Stated preference methods are often used to estimate benefits and costs for environmental and natural resource policy analysis, commonly relying on choice experiment questions in which respondents evaluate hypothetical scenarios with varying attributes. These applications generally assume that respondents pay attention to all attributes when making choices. However, attribute non-attendance, in which individuals ignore one or more attributes, may affect model estimates and willingness to pay. This paper critically examines the current state of research on attribute non-attendance in stated preference studies. We review the recent stated preference research to document when and how attribute non-attendance is incorporated in empirical applications. We then illustrate the implications of attribute non-attendance using marine resource choice experiment data in two case studies. We find differences in willingness to pay estimates between na•ve and attribute non-attendance models in both. Key Words: Attribute non-attendance, stated preferences, willingness to pay

Suggested Citation

  • Paul R. Hindsley & Owen A. Morgan & John C. Whitehead, 2026. "Non-Attendance to Attribute Non-Attendance in Stated Preference Research," Working Papers 26-01, Department of Economics, Appalachian State University.
    • Handle: RePEc:apl:wpaper:26-01
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    File URL: http://econ.appstate.edu/RePEc/pdf/wp2601.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Daniel R. Petrolia & Joonghyun Hwang, 2020. "Accounting for Attribute Non-attendance in Three Previously Published Choice Studies of Coastal Resources," Marine Resource Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 35(3), pages 219-240.
    2. Paul Hindsley & Craig E. Landry & Kurt Schnier & John C. Whitehead & Mohammadreza Zarei, 2023. "Joint estimation of angler revealed preference site selection and stated preference choice experiment recreation data considering attribute non-attendance," Journal of Environmental Economics and Policy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 12(1), pages 44-62, January.
    3. Daniel R. Petrolia & Dennis Guignet & John Whitehead & Cannon Kent & Clay Caulder & Kelvin Amon, 2021. "Nonmarket Valuation in the Environmental Protection Agency's Regulatory Process," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 43(3), pages 952-969, September.
    4. Gonçalves, Tânia & Lourenço-Gomes, Lina & Pinto, Lígia M. Costa, 2022. "The role of attribute non-attendance on consumer decision-making: Theoretical insights and empirical evidence," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 788-805.
    5. Liqing Li & Amy W. Ando, 2023. "Early Exposure to Nature and Willingness to Pay for It: The Value of Tallgrass Prairie Grassland Restoration," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 99(4), pages 509-527.
    6. Trey Malone & Jayson L Lusk, 2018. "A simple diagnostic measure of inattention bias in discrete choice models," European Review of Agricultural Economics, Oxford University Press and the European Agricultural and Applied Economics Publications Foundation, vol. 45(3), pages 455-462.
    7. John C. Whitehead & Gregory Howard & Louis Cornicelli, 2025. "Total Economic Valuation of Great Lakes Recreational Fisheries: Attribute Nonattendance, Hypothetical Bias, and Insensitivity to Scope," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 101(4), pages 550-565.
    8. Curtis Rollins, 2023. "Investigating cost non‐attendance as a driver of inflated welfare estimates in mixed‐logit models," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 74(3), pages 921-934, September.
    9. Paul Hindsley & Craig E. Landry & O. Ashton Morgan, 2020. "Incorporating Certainty and Attribute Non-attendance in Choice Experiments: An Application to Valuation of Coastal Habitat," Marine Resource Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 35(3), pages 241-262.
    10. Daniel K. Lew, 2024. "Aggregating social benefits of endangered species protection: the case of the Cook Inlet beluga whale," Journal of Environmental Economics and Policy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 13(2), pages 168-187, April.
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    JEL classification:

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

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