caa a22 4500 445854766 CHVBK 20180317145424.0 cr unu---uuuuu 170323e20110801xx s 000 0 eng 10.1007/s10640-010-9443-9 doi (NATIONALLICENCE)springer-10.1007/s10640-010-9443-9 Tough and Easy Choices: Testing the Influence of Utility Difference on Stated Certainty-in-Choice in Choice Experiments [Elektronische Daten] [Søren Olsen, Thomas Lundhede, Jette Jacobsen, Bo Thorsen] Respondents in Stated Preference studies may be uncertain about their preferences for the good presented to them. Inspired by Wang (J Environ Econ Manag 32:219-232, 1997) we hypothesize that respondents' stated certainty in choice increases with the utility difference between the alternative chosen and the best alternative to that. We test this hypothesis using data from two independent Choice Experiments both focusing on nature values. In modelling respondents' self-reported certainty in choice, we find evidence that the stated level of certainty increases significantly as utility difference in choice sets increases. In addition, stated certainty increases with income. Furthermore, there is some evidence that male respondents are inherently more certain in their choices than females, and a learning effect may increase stated certainty. We find evidence of this in the first study where the good is described in rather broad and generic terms, but not in the second study where a more specific description of the good is used. Springer Science+Business Media B.V., 2011 Choice experiment nationallicence Environmental valuation nationallicence Learning effect nationallicence Respondent uncertainty nationallicence Stated preferences nationallicence Utility balance nationallicence Olsen Søren Unit of Environmental and Natural Resource Economics, Institute of Food and Resource Economics, Life Science Faculty, University of Copenhagen, Rolighedsvej 25, 1958, Frederiksberg C, Denmark aut Lundhede Thomas Division of Economics, Policy and Management Planning, Forest and Landscape, Life Science Faculty, and Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, University of Copenhagen, Rolighedsvej 23, 1958, Frederiksberg C, Denmark aut Jacobsen Jette Division of Economics, Policy and Management Planning, Forest and Landscape, Life Science Faculty, and Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, University of Copenhagen, Rolighedsvej 23, 1958, Frederiksberg C, Denmark aut Thorsen Bo Division of Economics, Policy and Management Planning, Forest and Landscape, Life Science Faculty, and Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, University of Copenhagen, Rolighedsvej 23, 1958, Frederiksberg C, Denmark aut Environmental and Resource Economics Springer Netherlands 49/4(2011-08-01), 491-510 0924-6460 49:4<491 2011 49 10640 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10640-010-9443-9 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI 1 research-article jats NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10640-010-9443-9 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Olsen Søren Unit of Environmental and Natural Resource Economics, Institute of Food and Resource Economics, Life Science Faculty, University of Copenhagen, Rolighedsvej 25, 1958, Frederiksberg C, Denmark aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Lundhede Thomas Division of Economics, Policy and Management Planning, Forest and Landscape, Life Science Faculty, and Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, University of Copenhagen, Rolighedsvej 23, 1958, Frederiksberg C, Denmark aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Jacobsen Jette Division of Economics, Policy and Management Planning, Forest and Landscape, Life Science Faculty, and Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, University of Copenhagen, Rolighedsvej 23, 1958, Frederiksberg C, Denmark aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Thorsen Bo Division of Economics, Policy and Management Planning, Forest and Landscape, Life Science Faculty, and Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, University of Copenhagen, Rolighedsvej 23, 1958, Frederiksberg C, Denmark aut NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- Environmental and Resource Economics Springer Netherlands 49/4(2011-08-01), 491-510 0924-6460 49:4<491 2011 49 10640 Metadata rights reserved Springer special CC-BY-NC licence nationallicence BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-springer