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Precautionary behavior and willingness to pay for a mortality risk reduction: Searching for the expected relationship

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  • Mikael Svensson

Abstract

This paper examines within-sample correlation between six different precautionary behaviors and willingness to pay for a mortality risk reduction. The paper also shows estimates of the value of a statistical life based on seat belt and bicycle helmet usage as well as based on the stated willingness to pay for a risk reduction in traffic mortality. Contrary to the theoretical expectations, no correlation is found between precautionary behavior and willingness to pay, which is problematic for the validity of contingent valuation answers. One major explanation is that females and the elderly take more precaution, but states a lower WTP for a risk reduction. The estimates of VSL from the different approaches are $11.0, $6.4 and $5.5 million from stated WTP, seat belt use and bicycle helmet use, respectively.
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  • Mikael Svensson, 2009. "Precautionary behavior and willingness to pay for a mortality risk reduction: Searching for the expected relationship," Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, Springer, vol. 39(1), pages 65-85, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jrisku:v:39:y:2009:i:1:p:65-85
    DOI: 10.1007/s11166-009-9070-4
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    1. Lars Hultkrantz & Gunnar Lindberg & Camilla Andersson, 2006. "The value of improved road safety," Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, Springer, vol. 32(2), pages 151-170, March.
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    16. Evans, Mary F. & Smith, V. Kerry, 2006. "Do we really understand the age-VSL relationship?," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 28(3), pages 242-261, August.
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    Cited by:

    1. Andersson, Henrik, 2013. "Consistency in preferences for road safety: An analysis of precautionary and stated behavior," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 43(1), pages 41-49.
    2. Hultkrantz, Lars & Svensson, Mikael, 2012. "The value of a statistical life in Sweden: A review of the empirical literature," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 108(2), pages 302-310.
    3. Andrea M. Leiter & Gerald J. Pruckner, 2014. "Timing Effects In Health Valuations," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 23(6), pages 743-750, June.
    4. Andersson, Henrik & Hultkrantz, Lars & Lindberg, Gunnar & Nilsson, Jan-Eric, 2017. "The role of economic analysis for investment priorities in Sweden’s transport sector," Working papers in Transport Economics 2017:12, CTS - Centre for Transport Studies Stockholm (KTH and VTI), revised 23 May 2018.
    5. Kniesner, Thomas J. & Sullivan, Ryan & Viscusi, W. Kip, 2024. "The Military VSL," IZA Discussion Papers 17441, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    6. Courard-Hauri David & Lauer Stephen A., 2012. "Taking "All Men Are Created Equal" Seriously: Toward a Metric for the Intergroup Comparison of Utility Functions Through Life Values," Journal of Benefit-Cost Analysis, De Gruyter, vol. 3(3), pages 1-30, August.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Value of a statistical life; Stated preference; Risk behavior; D6; D8; I1;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D60 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - General
    • D80 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - General
    • I10 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - General

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