Using virtual environments in contingent valuation to elicit willingness to pay for an oil spill combat program

Abstract

Oil spill threats off the Portuguese coast are real, though they have not recently occurred. In particular,areas such as the Arrábida Natural Park are highly vulnerable due to development pressures. A contingent valuation survey is used to elicit willingness to pay (WTP) for an oil spill combat program in the area. While from a methodological perspective, (preliminary) results suggest that WTPs are not sensitive to the way information is conveyed when simulating the spill (low vs.high-immersive virtual environment),inferring about the WTPs across heterogeneous agents for reducing the damages caused is valuable information for policy purposes.