Altruistic and Private Values For Saving Lives With an Oyster Consumption Safety Program.

Area of Science:

• Environmental Economics
• Public Health Policy
• Consumer Behavior

Background:

• Oyster consumption safety policies aim to reduce health risks.
• Contingent valuation (CV) is used to estimate economic benefits.
• Previous CV studies on mortality risk reduction lacked scope sensitivity.

Purpose of the Study:

• Estimate willingness-to-pay (WTP) for oyster safety policies.
• Test for scope responsiveness in WTP for mortality risk reduction.
• Decompose WTP into use and nonuse values.

Main Methods:

• Internet-based survey using the contingent valuation method.
• Scope test framed as lives saved rather than risk change.
• Identification of at-risk respondents for value decomposition.

Main Results:

• Referendum votes demonstrated responsiveness to the scope of risk reduction (lives saved).
• WTP per life saved (use values) ranged from $3.95M to $7.69M.
• WTP per life saved (use + altruistic nonuse values) ranged from $6.89M to $12.87M.

Conclusions:

• Oyster safety policies have significant economic benefits, with WTP increasing with scope.
• Individual risk perception influences WTP, highlighting the importance of use values.
• Policy valuation should consider both direct benefits and altruistic concerns.