Browsing by Author "Ellis, Sean F."

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    Back to the Source: Consumer Behavior in Response to Different Sources of Recycled Irrigation Water
    (Department of Applied Economics and Statistics, University of Delaware, Newark, DE., 2022-06-12) Messer, Kent D.; Ellis, Sean F.; Kecinski, Maik; Ganguly, Diya
    Using recycled water to irrigate agricultural products can be an effective solution to water scarcity. However, a better understanding of how society evaluates different sources of recycled water provides insights into potential demand-side barriers to adoption of these solutions. This paper implements a field economic experiment conducted in the Southwest and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States that evaluates consumers’ willingness-to-pay for three sources of recycled irrigation water: “gray”, “black”, and “produced”. Our analysis indicates that people consider certain sources of recycled water more acceptable for irrigating produce than others. Recycled gray water is preferred to recycled-produced water, and both are preferred to recycled black water. We also explore how adult consumers respond to scientific information about the benefits and risks of using recycled irrigation water, and find that it does not mitigate consumers’ concerns.
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    Essays on the economics of stigma and disgust: behavioral evidence from functional magnetic resonance imaging and field experiments
    (University of Delaware, 2019) Ellis, Sean F.
    Differences in Concern about Water Reuse: Consumer Response to Food Produced with Recycled Irrigation Water in the United States and Israel ☐ Abstract: In 2018, approximately 29% of the continental United States experienced some level of drought, conditions that are predicted to spread as climate change hastens shifts in the global water cycle. Despite recycled water being a financially feasible, safe, and commonly proposed solution to water scarcity, broad adoption of recycled irrigation water at the farm level in the United States and across the world will depend on consumer acceptance of such practices. This study utilized economic field experiments, involving 660 adult consumers, in the United States and Israel to examine consumer preferences in two countries that are heterogeneous in terms of drought impact and experience with recycled water. We investigate how consumers respond to different types of recycled irrigation water and if exposure to scientific information about the benefits and risks of recycled water affects these preferences. Results show that the use of recycled water for irrigation diminishes consumer demand for produce by 86% in the United States, but only 20% in Israel. The reductions in willingness-to-pay vary by water type in both countries and are affected by exposure to scientific information and consumers previous knowledge about recycled water. These results suggest that concerns regarding food produced with recycled irrigation water are likely to vary by country and experience with the use of recycled water. ☐ A Neuroeconomic Investigation of Disgust in Food Purchasing Decisions ☐ Abstract: Dealing with large-scale societal problems such as water scarcity often requires changes in behavior that consumers resist. Some sustainable, cost-effective, and safe solutions are even rejected because of a psychological response of disgust, such as food produced with recycled water to supplement traditional water supplies and crickets as a replacement for water-intensive proteins like beef. This study, involving 51 adult participants, used functional magnetic resonance imaging to explore consumers neural responses to these types of food and the role price plays in their decisions. A video that promotes the use of recycled water was also tested to see if consumers’ negative reaction towards it can be ameliorated through information and messaging. The results show activation in the insular cortex and parts of the limbic system, indicating feelings of disgust. After the treatment video, neural activity did not change in these regions, however, their decisions about food produced with recycled water did. Together, these findings suggest disgust is a part of the decision process, that it lingers and could be difficult to mitigate, and that after a behavioral intervention there are other dimensions of the decision process that become more important. Further, the results support the concept that the decision process can be represented using a drift diffusion model and that that the computation and comparison of decision values can be modulated in response to a behavioral intervention. ☐ Mitigating Stigma on Recycled Water: Celebrity Endorsements, Social Comparisons, and Trophic Levels ☐ Abstract: The stigmatization of water and food products can act as a constraint on markets, preventing scientifically safe solutions to environmental problems, like water scarcity, from being implemented. Recycled water is a financially feasible, reliable and safe solution to water scarcity; however, on average, consumers either require a large price reduction to purchase and use products made with recycled water or they outright reject them. There is evidence that the stigma attached to water and food can be mitigated through behavioral interventions, but if new agricultural technologies, like recycled water are going to help counteract the effects of climate change, new stigma mitigation strategies need to be explored. Using framed field experiments, involving 314 adult participants, we test if passing recycled water through an aquifer before using it for potable and irrigation purposes removes the stigma attached to it. We also test if trophic levels act as a stigma mitigating barrier and the effect of social marketing, specifically a celebrity endorsement video and a social comparison statement. Results show that passing recycled water through an aquifer removes the stigma attached to it and that a food crop possesses the same level of stigma as the water it is irrigated with, but the animal that eats it has less stigma attached to it. However, we find no significant effect from a celebrity endorsement video, a social comparison statement, or the two combined on participant’s decisions about products produced with different types of water.
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    Mitigating stigma associated with recycled water
    (American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 2021-10-07) Ellis, Sean F.; Savchenko, Olesya M.; Messer, Kent D.
    Stigmatization of water and food products can constrain markets and prevent the implementation of scientifically safe solutions to environmental problems, such as water scarcity. Recycled water can be a cost-effective, dependable, and safe solution to water shortages. However, consumers generally either require a large reduction in price to purchase products made with recycled water or reject such products outright. If emerging sustainable agricultural technologies, such as recycled water, are to be used to address growing water shortages worldwide, policymakers, water managers, and industry stakeholders must identify effective strategies for mitigating the stigma associated with recycled water. Using field experiments involving 1420 adult participants, we test the effectiveness of two stigma-mitigating techniques. We also demonstrate a novel twist to the collection of representative samples in non-hypothetical field experimental settings and then compare the results to a more traditional field experiment that recruited participants at large public gatherings. The analysis of these two different samples suggests a common finding: passing recycled water through a natural barrier, such as an aquifer, removes the stigma consumers would otherwise attach to it. We also find that the trophic level an organism occupies in the food chain influences stigmatizing behavior. The greater the steps in the food chain between an organism and the use of recycled water, the less it is stigmatized by consumers. These results have important implications for efforts to promote large-scale potable and non-potable water recycling projects and the use of recycled water in the agricultural industry.
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    Mitigating Stigma Associated with Recycled Water: Aquifer Recharge and Trophic Levels
    (Department of Applied Economics and Statistics, University of Delaware, Newark, DE., 2019-12) Ellis, Sean F.; Savchenko, Olesya; Messer, Kent D.
    Stigmatization of water and food products can constrain markets and prevent the implementation of scientifically safe solutions to environmental problems, such as water scarcity. Recycled water can be a cost-effective, dependable, and safe solution to water shortages, however, consumers generally either require a large reduction in price to purchase and eat products made with recycled water or reject such products outright. If emerging agricultural technologies, such as recycled water are to be used to address growing water shortages worldwide, policymakers and industry stakeholders must identify effective strategies for mitigating stigma. Using a field experiment involving 314 adult participants, we test the effectiveness of two stigma-mitigating techniques that have not previously been explored. Our analysis suggests that passing recycled water through a natural barrier, such as an aquifer, removes the stigma consumers would otherwise attach to it. We also find that the trophic level an organism occupies in the food chain influences stigmatizing behavior. The greater the steps in the food chain between an organism and the use of recycled water, the less it is stigmatized. A plant crop used for food possesses the same qualities and contagions as the water with which it is irrigated but a food animal that eats that crop does not, or at least not to the same extent. These results have important implications for efforts to promote large-scale potable and non-potable recycled water projects and the use of recycled water in the agricultural industry.
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    A Neuroeconomic Investigation of Disgust in Food Purchasing Decisions
    (Department of Applied Economics and Statistics, University of Delaware, Newark, DE., 2019-12) Ellis, Sean F.; Kecinski, Maik; Messer, Kent D.; Lusk, Jayson L.
    Dealing with large-scale societal problems such as water scarcity often requires changes in behavior that consumers resist. Some sustainable, cost-effective, and safe solutions are even rejected because of a psychological response of disgust, such as food produced with recycled water to supplement traditional water supplies and crickets as a replacement for water-intensive proteins like beef. This study, involving 51 adult participants, used functional magnetic resonance imaging to explore consumers neural responses to these types of food and the role price plays in their decisions. A video that promotes the use of recycled water was also tested to determine whether consumers’ aversion can be ameliorated. The results show activation in the insular cortex when presented with images of food produced with recycled water or crickets, indicating these foods are associated with feelings of disgust. After the treatment video, neural activity did not change in the insular cortex, however, respondent’s decisions about food produced with recycled water did. Together, these findings suggest disgust is a part of the decision process, that it lingers and can be difficult to mitigate, but that behavioral interventions have the potential to overcome it.
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    What's in a Name? Branding Reclaimed Water
    (Department of Applied Economics and Statistics, University of Delaware, Newark, DE., 2018-09) Ellis, Sean F.; Savchenko, Olesya M.; Messer, Kent D.
    Reclaimed water is often presented as a cost-effective, reliable, and safe solution to increasingly common water shortages in the United States and across the globe, but studies have shown that consumers tend to object to the use of this water. Broad adoption of this technology will require consumer acceptance or at least tolerance of it, and studies have suggested that better branding could minimize or even overcome their concerns. This study uses an experimental approach to test consumer preferences for twenty-one potential branding names for reclaimed water and to determine whether an opportunity for consumers to try this water can change their preferences. The results suggest that the common names for this water, such as Recycled, Reclaimed, Nontraditional, Treated Wastewater, and Reused, are the least appealing, as they all scored at the bottom. In contrast, names that invoke desirable characteristics of the water—Pure, Eco-Friendly, and Advanced Purified, were viewed significantly more favorable than the others. Having an opportunity to taste this water seems to clarify consumers’ preferences by increasing the differences in favorability between the names. Based on these results, it appears that while there are a couple of appealing names, the most preferred is Pure Water. For