Convergent validity between willingness to pay elicitation methods: an application to Grand Canyon whitewater boaters

Abstract

We directly compare trip willingness to pay (WTP) values between dichotomous choice contingent valuation (DCCV) and discrete choice experiment (DCE) stated preference surveys of private party Grand Canyon whitewater boaters. The consistency of DCCV and DCE estimates is debated in the literature, and this study contributes to the body of work comparing the methods. Comparisons were made of mean WTP estimates for four hypothetical Colorado River flow-level scenarios. Boaters were found to most highly value mid-range flows, with very low and very high flows eliciting lower WTP estimates across both DCE and DCCV surveys. Mean WTP precision was estimated through simulation. No statistically significant differences were detected between the two methods at three of the four hypothetical flow levels.

Keywords:

• contingent valuation
• discrete choice
• Grand Canyon
• whitewater
• willingness to pay

Acknowledgements

Funding for the research underlying this paper was provided by the National Park Service Social Sciences Division and the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program. Substantial assistance in the early stages of this work was provided by Bruce Peacock. Grand Canyon National Park personnel efficiently provided needed listings of Grand Canyon boaters. Data underlying this analysis is available at https://doi.org/10.5066/F7DZ07HM. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the US Government. All errors and omissions are the responsibility of the authors.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program [grant number G11AC20281].