Effects of distance on non-use values

A Choice Modelling (CM) experiment is designed to analyze the relation between Non-Use Values (NUVs) and distance. This issue is relevant in environmental valuation as it can help to identify the relevant market for a given environmental asset and improve individual benefit estimates. The CM experiment extends the literature by designing the environmental attributes so that NUV changes can be disentangled from Use Value (UV) changes. The experiment also allows for a flexible specification of the distance covariates. Data are obtained from a geographically representative sample. We find that NUVs do not depend on distance. Aggregation of NUVs is based on income and individuals’ environmental attitudes.