An Investigation of the Rationality of Consumer Valuations of Multiple Health Risks

W Viscusi, Wesley A. Magat and Joel Huber

RAND Journal of Economics, 1987, vol. 18, issue 4, 465-479

Abstract: After developing a conceptual analysis of consumer valuation of multiple risks, we explore both economic and cognitive hypotheses regarding individual risk-taking. Using a sample of over 1,500 consumers, our study ascertains risk-dollar tradeoffs for the risks associated with using an insecticide and a toilet bowl cleaner. We observe the expected positive valuation of risk reductions and find empirical support for a diminishing in the valuation of risk reduction as the extent of the risk reduction increases. We also find evidence of certainty premiums for the total elimination of one risk, but no strong evidence of additional certainty premiums for the elimination of multiple risks. Strong reference risk effects are evident, as increases in risk were valued much more greatly than were decreases.

Date: 1987
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (89)

Downloads: (external link)
http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0741-6261%2819872 ... O%3B2-J&origin=repec full text (application/pdf)
Access to full text is restricted to JSTOR subscribers. See http://www.jstor.org for details.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:rje:randje:v:18:y:1987:i:winter:p:465-479

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://editorialexp ... i-bin/rje_online.cgi

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in RAND Journal of Economics from The RAND Corporation
Bibliographic data for series maintained by ().