COMPLIANCE BIAS IN DICHOTOMOUS CHOICE CVM: SOME EVIDENCE FROM A UTAH WILDERNESS STUDY

Responses to a dichotomous choice contingent valuation (DCCV) of wilderness designation in Utah were used to determine if individuals who identified themselves as having no opinion or being neutral to wilderness designation in general and for two specific wilderness proposals would have nonnegative willingness to pay for such designation. In cases for which a sufficient number of observations permitted estimation, the estimated willingness to pay was positive and significantly different from zero and often exceeded that of individuals who identified themselves as supporting wilderness designation. This appears to support the contention that DCCV studies may generate values from respondents whether or not those respondents truly have positive willingness to pay.