Language-Related Differences In Environmental Benefits Estimation: Evidence From A Mail Survey

[Harold Schiffman]

Language-Related Differences In Environmental Benefits Estimation:
Evidence From A Mail Survey

Abstract: In contingent valuation studies, failing to accommodate
populations with limited language skills might yield biased estimates.
In the United States, there are many residents primarily fluent in
Spanish. This study uses conditional logit models applied to data from
a bilingual (English and Spanish) conjoint choice mail survey to
evaluate the effects of language proficiency on estimates of the
economic benefits of contaminated site cleanup. Results indicate that
language does have significant effects on welfare estimates. The
results suggest that mail surveys addressing environmental issues that
may affect a linguistically diverse population should be designed at
the outset with multiple languages in mind.

by Xiaolin Ren, Arianto A. Patunru, and John B. Braden
1. Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Agricultural and
Consumer Economics, University of Illinois,1301 W. Gregory Drive, Room
326, Urbana, IL 61801. Phone 217-333-1810; Fax 217-333-2312; E-mail
xren at uiuc.edu
2. Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, Universitas
Indonesia, LPEM-FEUI Jalan Salemba Raya 4, Jakarta, 10430, Indonesia.
Phone (+62)21-314-3177, Fax (+61)21-319-34310, E-mail
patunru at lpem-feui.org
3. Professor, Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics,
University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, 61801. Phone 217-333-5501, Fax
217-333-2312, E-mail jbb at uiuc.edu.

http://envirovaluation.org/index.php/2008/01/19/contemporary_economic_policy_via_blackwe_3

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