On the treatment of protest responses induced by perceived corruption in stated preferences studies

William Vásquez () and Carlos de Rezende ()
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William Vásquez: Fairfield University
Carlos de Rezende: Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense

Economics Bulletin, 2026, vol. 46, issue 2, 590 - 596

Abstract: Despite the prevalence of protest responses induced by perceived corruption in stated preferences surveys, consensus on how to treat those responses remains elusive. This study proposes a counterfactual approach to mitigate corruption-induced biases in willingness-to-pay estimates. Specifically, we present a debiasing prompt that asks protesters to reconsider their choice within a hypothetical context of institutional transparency. Using these modified protest responses, we provide willingness-to-pay estimates relatively free from protest bias. Applying this method to a contingent valuation study of cultural property in Brazil, we find a median willingness-to-pay 80% higher than the baseline. This suggests that standard valuation methods may undervalue public goods in contexts of high perceived corruption.

Keywords: Protest responses; perceived corruption; willingness to pay; contingent valuation; stated preferences. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D7 H4 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026-06-30
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