Methods Development in Using Constructive Survey Approaches to Value Nonmarket Environmental Resources

调查工具，从那些旨在引起或有估价的那些收集的态度和意见的政策选择，被用来作为信息来源，以确定环境政策和方案的行动。然而，目前的调查方法并不能准确地反映政策过程中必须考虑的资源价值的多层面和非货币性质。因此，该项目开发了一个研究计划，两个有前途的新的环境调查方法，这似乎提供了独特的优势，提供全面和重点数据库的公众对问题的反应和关注的政策制定者预计要解决。决策路径方法向受访者提出一系列相互关联的问题，每个问题都有几个答案。答案的选择为每个受访者创建了一个决策路径，这反过来又揭示了首选的资源管理选项和推理策略。价值整合方法首先确定与问题相关的价值组成部分，并协助受访者利用这一知识在各种替代环境政策之间做出明智的权衡。这两个建议的调查方法反映了行为决策理论的见解，并认识到复杂的环境价值观的建设性。 该项目得到了EPA/NSF环境政策评估资助机会的支持。

Survey instruments, ranging from those designed to elicit contingent valuations to those that collect attitudes and opinions about policy options, are used as information sources to determine environmental policy and program actions. However, the current survey methods do not accurately represent the multidimensional and nonmonetary nature of the resource values that must be considered in the policy process. Therefore, this project develops a research program on two promising new environmental survey approaches, which appear to offer distinct advantages in providing comprehensive and focused databases on public responses to the issues and concerns policy makers are expected to address. The decision pathways approach asks respondents a series of interrelated questions, each of which has several answers. The choice of answers creates a decision path for each respondent, which in turn reveals the preferred resource management options and the reasoning strategies. The value integration approach begins by identifying the components of value relevant to the issue and assists respondents in using this knowledge to make informed tradeoffs across alternative environmental policies. Both proposed survey approaches reflect the insights of behavioral decision theory and recognize the constructive nature of complex environmental values. This project is supported by the EPA/NSF Valuation for Environmental Policy funding opportunity.