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How Do Visual Representations Influence Survey Responses? Evidence from a Choice Experiment on Landscape Attributes of Green Infrastructure

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  • Shr, Yau-Huo (Jimmy)
  • Ready, Richard
  • Orland, Brian
  • Echols, Stuart

Abstract

This article provides new evidence on how images influence survey responses, using a split-sample choice experiment. Our results suggest that, when respondents are presented with both images and text, they exhibit stronger preferences for attributes with high visual salience than when presented with either images or text alone. Furthermore, respondents are less likely to ignore individual attributes when both images and text are provided. However, the provision of images makes responses more random, i.e., respondents' preferences for attributes are less consistent across choice questions.

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  • Shr, Yau-Huo (Jimmy) & Ready, Richard & Orland, Brian & Echols, Stuart, 2019. "How Do Visual Representations Influence Survey Responses? Evidence from a Choice Experiment on Landscape Attributes of Green Infrastructure," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 156(C), pages 375-386.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecolec:v:156:y:2019:i:c:p:375-386
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2018.10.015
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