This article proposes contemporary best-practice recommendations for stated preference (SP) studies used to inform decision making, grounded in the accumulated body of peer-reviewed literature. These recommendations consider the use of SP methods to estimate both use and non-use (passive-use) values, and cover the broad SP domain, including contingent valuation and discrete choice experiments. We focus on applications to public goods in the context of the environment and human health but also consider ways in which the proposed recommendations might apply to other common areas of application. The recommendations recognize that SP results may be used and reused (benefit transfers) by governmental agencies and nongovernmental organizations, and that all such applications must be considered. The intended result is a set of guidelines for SP studies that is more comprehensive than that of the original National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Blue Ribbon Panel on contingent valuation, is more germane to contemporary applications, and reflects the two decades of research since that time. We also distinguish between practices for which accumulated research is sufficient to support recommendations and those for which greater uncertainty remains. The goal of this article is to raise the quality of SP studies used to support decision making and promote research that will further enhance the practice of these studies worldwide.

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Contemporary Guidance for Stated Preference Studies

Traditionally in social surveys and official statistics data were collected either by an interviewer visiting a respondent or through a self-administered mail questionnaire. In the second half of the twentieth century this picture changed rapidly. Telephone surveys became increasingly popular, reaching their peak in the 1990s. Advances in computer technology in the last thirty years have made computer-assisted survey methods possible, including methods for Internet and web surveys. This variety of data collection methods led to methodological questions, such as, which method to choose? which is best? Recently in survey practice multiple modes of data collection or mixed-modes have become more and more popular. In this article I will outline the advantages and disadvantages of mixed-mode survey designs, starting with an overview of common forms of mixed-mode design and discussing reasons for using more than one mode in a survey. This overview will end with a discussion of practical issues and an agenda for future research.

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To mix or not to mix data collection modes in surveys.

Little is known about access, sources, and trust of cancer-related information, or factors that facilitate or hinder communication on a populationwide basis. Through a careful developmental process involving extensive input from many individuals and organizations, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) developed the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) to help fill this gap. This nationally representative telephone survey of 6,369 persons aged � 18 years among the general population was first conducted in 2002‐2003, and will be repeated biennially depending on availability of funding. The purpose of creating a population survey to be repeated on a cyclical basis is to track trends in the public’s rapidly changing use of new

The Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS): Development, Design, and Dissemination

Online data collection, through e-mail and Web-based surveys, is becoming an increasingly popular research methodology. In this article, the authors outline the benefits and limitations of this type of data collection to help researchers determine whether their data could be collected online in a way that retains the integrity of the data. A detailed procedure, including strategies to manage limitations, is given for researchers wishing to conduct their own online surveys. ********** In an age of ever-advancing technology, Americans are becoming progressively more computer literate. More and more people have access to the Internet, and the Internet is fast becoming the communication method of choice for many Americans (Duffy, 2000). Researchers from many disciplines are starting to see the benefits of collecting data using the Internet, and increasingly, journals are publishing data that have been collected online (Schleyer & Forrest, 2000). Despite this increased use of the Internet for data collection, there is little published research on the process of data collection online. That is, discipline-specific studies publish the results of their Web-based surveys in discipline-specific journals, but little information is available on the specifics of how Internet-based data collection can be accomplished. Thus, it is difficult for a researcher wishing to use this data collection method to find resources to use as guides. A review of recent issues of the flagship journal of the American Counseling Association and the journals of its largest divisions and affiliates (Journal of Counseling & Development, The Family Journal, Counselor Education and Supervision, Journal of Mental Health Counseling, and Professional School Counseling) found that the publication of data collected online has not yet become standard in the field of counseling. In fact, since 1998, no articles have been published in any of these journals that explicitly state that data were collected from an e-mail-based or Web-based survey method. (One study by Niles, Akos, & Cutler in a 2001 issue of Counselor Education and Supervision used e-mail correspondence to conduct qualitative interviews with participants, although participants originally were contacted via postal mail.) There is, however, an advantage to using Web-based surveys that make it a particularly appealing method for the counseling profession. The advantages of reduced time, lowered cost, ease of data entry, flexibility in format, and ability to capture additional response-set information are universal to Internet-based data collection in all fields. However, in the counseling profession, the additional benefit of access to populations that have not entered the mental health system (e.g., potential clients with mental health problems who have not yet accessed the system) may make online data collection particularly advantageous for counseling research. It is possible that online data collection is not used in the field of counseling because of the limitations of this type of data collection, such as difficulties in obtaining a representative sample, low response rates, and problems with technology. These limitations are valid and pertinent to researchers in every field and are discussed in detail later in this article k also is possible that online data collection has not been used in the counseling literature because of a lack of models and training for this type of research methodology. Therefore, this article is intended to help provide a structure for researchers wishing to engage in this type of data collection. Based on a review of the literature and the findings from a large-scale online study that we previously conducted (Wheaton & Granello, 2001), this article outlines the advantages and limitations of online data collection for the field of counseling and then describes a step-by-step how-to method for researchers wishing to conduct their own Web-based surveys. …

Online Data Collection: Strategies for Research.

Foundations. J.J. Hox, E.D. de Leeuw, D. Dillman, The Cornerstones of Survey Research. N. Schwarz, B. Knauper, D. Oyserman, C. Stich, The Psychology of Asking Questions. P. Lynn, The Problem of Nonresponse. J. A. Harkness, Comparative Survey Research: Goal and Challenges. E. Singer, Ethical Issues in Surveys. Design. S.L. Lohr, Coverage and Sampling. E.D. de Leeuw, Choosing the Method of Data Collection. F.J. Fowler, C. Cosenza, Writing Effective Questions. D.A. Dillman, The Logic and Psychology of Constructing Questionnaires. P. Campanelli, Testing Survey Questions. Implementation. G. Loosveldt, Face-to-Face interviews. C. Steeh, Telephone Surveys. E.D. de Leeuw, J.J. Hox, Self-Administered Questionnaires: Mail Surveys and Other Applications. K.L. Manfreda, V. Vehovar, Internet Surveys. D.M. Steiger, B. Conroy, IVR: Interactive Voice Response. E.D. de Leeuw, D.A. Dillman, J.J. Hox, Mixed Mode Surveys: When and Why. Data Analysis. P.P. Biemer, S.L. Christ, Weighting Survey Data. L.M. Stapleton, Analysis of Data from Complex Surveys. S. Rassler, D.B. Rubin, N. Schenker, Incomplete Data: Diagnosis, imputation, and estimation. J.J. Hox, Accommodating Measurement Errors. Special Issues. P. Mohler, B. Pennell, F. Hubbard, Survey documentation: Towards Professional Knowledge Management in Sample Surveys. L.E. Lyberg, P.P. Biemer, Quality Assurance and Quality Control in Surveys. J.T. Lessler, J. Eyerman, K. Wang, Interviewer Training. G. Lensvelt-Mulders, Surveying Sensitive Topics. D. Sikkel, A. Hoogendoorn, Panel Surveys. J. Betlehem, Surveys Without Questions.

International handbook of survey methodology.

https://www.bebr.ufl.edu/sites/default/files/Response%20rate%20and%20measurement%20differences%20in%20mixed-mode%20surveys.pdf

Response rate and measurement differences in mixed-mode surveys using mail, telephone, interactive voice response (IVR) and the Internet

Surveying the General Public over the Internet Using Address-Based Sampling and Mail Contact Procedures

Objective

This study assesses competing macro-level explanations of national-level environmental concern. Drawing on previous research, we test the effects of national affluence, environmental degradation, and world society integration on various dimensions of environmental concern.



Method

We utilize factor analysis to separate distinct dimensions of concern. Then, we estimate bivariate correlations using data from the latest (fifth) wave of the World Values Survey (WVS) and a multivariate panel regression model using data from four WVS waves (1990–2008).



Results

Bivariate correlations reveal inconsistent relationships across the various dimensions of environmental concern. The panel analysis suggests that environmental degradation is positively associated with environmental concern expressed as willingness to pay higher taxes, affluence is either negatively or not associated, and international nongovernmental organizations are not significantly associated.



Conclusion

Environmental conditions significantly influence levels of environmental concern around the world. It should not be assumed that affluence is the determining factor in global environmental concern.

Environmental Concern in Cross‐National Perspective: The Effects of Affluence, Environmental Degradation, and World Society*

Determinants of Item Nonresponse to Web and Mail Respondents in Three Address-Based Mixed-Mode Surveys of the General Public

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In the USA, Washington is a highly urbanized state with about three quarters of its population residing in just seven of thirty-nine counties. In the 1970s, urban residents were less satisfied with their quality of community life (QOL) compared to residents in rural communities. This presented somewhat of a paradox because urban residents had better overall objective conditions, such as higher levels of education and income. In this chapter, QOL in Washington is revisited to determine if the urban–rural paradox has persisted and which factors influence perceived differences in QOL. Data on the objective indicators of QOL in Washington indicate that the gap has widened between urban and rural counties since the 1970s, in which urban counties have become more advantaged. The authors conducted the 2008 Washington Community Survey (WCS), a general public household survey, to obtain measures of subjective QOL in urban and rural communities, as well as demographic characteristics. Survey results show that the trend in perceived QOL has reversed, with urban residents more satisfied with the QOL in their community compared to rural residents in Washington. In addition, the authors identify several community- and individual-level characteristics that significantly influence the perceived QOL in each region and propose a way of crafting state policies that accommodates urban–rural differences in the state.

Benjamin L. Messer

Papers

Response rate and measurement differences in mixed-mode surveys using mail, telephone, interactive voice response (IVR) and the Internet

Surveying the General Public over the Internet Using Address-Based Sampling and Mail Contact Procedures

Environmental Concern in Cross‐National Perspective: The Effects of Affluence, Environmental Degradation, and World Society*

Determinants of Item Nonresponse to Web and Mail Respondents in Three Address-Based Mixed-Mode Surveys of the General Public

Comparing Urban and Rural Quality of Life in the State of Washington