POPULATION-SPECIFIC RECREATION DEMAND MODELS AND THE CONSEQUENCES OF POOLING SAMPLE DATA

This paper considers the implications of different geographical population definitions in analysis of demand for wildlife recreation. Demand functions for fishing, small game hunting, big game hunting, and wildlife enjoyment are estimated for individual Southeastern states and also for a pooled sample of all the states. Statistically significant differences between the state and regional estimates of the variable cost coefficient exist in 18 of the 40 cases. Consumer surplus values derived from state cost coefficients can differ greatly from values derived from pooled coefficients.