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1. Watts at stake: Concern and willingness-to-pay for electrical grid improvements in the United States

   https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2023.103179  

   Long, Michael A.; León-Corwin, Maggie; Peach, Kaitlin; Olofsson, Kristin L.; Ripberger, Joseph T.; Gupta, Kuhika; Silva, Carol L.; Jenkins-Smith, Hank (August 2023, Energy Research & Social Science)

   Utilizing a random sample of Oklahoma, USA residents, this paper examines the factors that are 1) associated with concern for the current state of the electrical grid in Oklahoma, and 2) associated with willingness-to-pay (WTP) for electrical grid improvements in the state. We develop a conceptual model using a risk perception framework and based on previous literature to hypothesize which variables should be related to our dependent variables (concern for the electrical grid, and WTP for improvements to the grid). We then test our conceptual model using a structural equation model (SEM). The results suggest that respondents who hold higher perceptions of weather-related risks and perceive more risks from electrical outages had greater concern for electricity infrastructure. Additionally, respondents who expressed less trust in those charged with electrical grid maintenance reported more concern for electricity infrastructure. The results for our second research question suggest that lower cost, respondents who were more politically liberal, non-white, trust grid maintenance, perceived risks of electrical outages and have concerns for the electrical grid infrastructure were all related to WTP for electrical grid improvements. We conclude the paper with implications of our findings and some brief recommendations for electrical grid concern and WTP for modernization. 

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2. Perceptions about potential microplastic interventions: a study on knowledge, concerns, and willingness to pay

   https://doi.org/10.1186/s43591-025-00119-8  

   Gannon, Amanda; Granek, Elise F; Nielsen-Pincus, Max; Harkins, Luke (April 2025, Microplastics and Nanoplastics)

   Among emerging contaminants, microplastics (MPs) are of particular concern due to their ubiquity across environments and the unique challenges posed by attempted removal. In-line washing machine filters are one potential tool for preemptively preventing a category of MPs from entering waterways. A sample of registered voters and environmental interest groups in Oregon were asked about their general knowledge and concerns surrounding microplastics, as well as their willingness to pay for high-efficiency washing machine filters. Findings show that less than a quarter of all respondents would be willing to pay full price for a high-efficiency filter, indicating a limited-scale early adopter program may be a more feasible implementation option. Up to 20% more people may support if part of the cost were to be covered by a government subsidy. Understanding consumer knowledge, characteristics, and willingness to pay (WTP) for filters across demographics can be particularly beneficial to researchers and policymakers looking to engage early adopters for this potential solution to the ongoing issue of MPs. 

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3. Is This Food ‘Local’? Evidence from a Framed Field Experiment

   https://doi.org/10.22004/ag.econ.302449  

   Li, T. (May 2020, Journal of agricultural and resource economics)

   This experimental research studies consumer preferences for local food accompanied by various label definitions. 374 adult participants made purchase decisions for local oysters characterized by multiple definitions of the term local. Results show consumers are less willing to pay for local oysters when local is defined as harvested within 400 miles than they are for oysters harvested within 100 miles or 25 miles. Willingness to pay (WTP) also increases when local is defined as being harvested in a watershed from the same state of the purchase location rather than in an adjacent state. Interestingly, the highest WTP is when no definition of local is provided. 

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4. Public Willingness to Pay for Farmer Adoption of Best Management Practices

   https://doi.org/10.1017/aae.2022.4  

   Lambert, Lixia H.; Lambert, Dayton M.; Ripberger, Joseph T. (May 2022, Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics)

   Abstract This paper analyzes public willingness to support farmer adoption of best management practices in Oklahoma’s Fort Cobb Watershed, a multiuse area for agriculture, residential water provision, and recreation. The study uses Oklahoma’s Meso-Scale Integrated Sociogeographic Network survey to conduct a contingent valuation analysis of a hypothetical, one-time tax that would support farmer adoption of pasture and riparian buffer management practices. Respondent heterogeneity is modeled using beta-binomial regression. Public support for the hypothetical program is stronger for the tandem implementation of riparian buffer establishment and pasture expansion (willingness to pay [WTP] = $290) and riparian buffer establishment (WTP = $317). 

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5. Are consumers no longer willing to pay more for local foods? A field experiment

   https://doi.org/10.1017/age.2023.27  

   Davidson, Kelly A; Khanal, Badri; Messer, Kent D (April 2024, Agricultural and Resource Economics Review)

   Abstract Government programs promoting locally produced foods have risen dramatically. But are these programs actually convincing consumers to pay more for locally produced food? Studies to date, which have mostly relied on hypothetical stated preference surveys, suggest that consumers will pay premiums for various local foods and that the premiums vary with the product and presence of any geographic identity. This study reports results from a large field experiment involving 1,050 adult consumers to reveal consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP) premiums for “locally produced” foods – mushrooms and oysters. Despite strong statistical power, this study reveals no positive effect of the locally produced label on consumer WTP. These null results are contrary to most of the existing literature on this topic. The finding that consumers are not willing to pay more for local foods has important implications for state and federal agencies that promote labeling campaigns that seek to increase demand and generate premiums for locally produced foods. 

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