Department of Economics

BI Business Review

The American Economic Review 116(8) p. 3036-3075 Doi: https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.20240617

University of Stavanger

University of Stavanger

This note sets out the research agenda and a parsimonious first design for a large-scale, multicountry survey experiment on citizens’ awareness of, attitudes toward, and preferences for nature-based solution (NBS) programmes in Europe. Stated-preference research on NBS is now substantial but dominated by site-specific contingent valuation and choice experiments focused on flood adaptation; experimental vignette designs, cross-country comparisons, and systematic variation in the problem NBS are meant to solve are largely absent. We propose a Stage 1 vignette experiment, embedded in a multi-stage elicitation framework, in which respondents evaluate three national NBS programmes—one addressing each strand of the triple planetary crisis (climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution)—whose benefit type, economic proposition, and required individual behaviour are randomized. Each programme is evaluated along an increasing commitment gradient: general support, an advisory referendum on a stated national budget, a household willingness-to-pay (WTP) decision, and a WTP amount. A between-respondent information experiment varies the salience of each crisis and of their interconnection. We state five research questions, testable hypotheses, the estimation strategy, and power considerations for samples of 1,000–2,000 respondents per country.

University of Stavanger

We examine whether participation in The H2O Game, an immersive/interactive, environmentally themed play, shifts support for nature-based solutions for coastal flood control. In a pre-registered survey experiment linked to performances at two Danish sites, 36 respondents evaluated two national policy vignettes. Outcomes move from general policy support to referendum voting, willingness to pay (WTP), and an annual WTP amount. Treated respondents report 0.82 points higher pooled support on a seven-point scale (𝑝 = 0.051). In the preferred pooled model, which controls for policy vignette, site, age, and household income, the treatment effect is 0.98 points (𝑝 = 0.016). The adjusted annual WTP effect is positive at DKK 2,013 (𝑝 = 0.074), while referendum support and the probability of positive WTP show no statistically discernible effects. The findings suggest that immersive/interactive environmental experiences may strengthen stated policy support, but evidence for increased monetary commitment remains uncertain.