Impacts of information about COVID-19 on pig farmers'production willingness and behavior:Evidence from China

This paper examines the impacts of information about COVID-19 on pig farmers'production willingness by using endorsement experiments and follow-up surveys conducted in 2020 and 2021 in China.Our results show that,first,farmers were less willing to scale up production when they received information about COVID-19.The information in 2020 that the second wave of COVID-19 might occur without a vaccine reduced farmers'willingness to scale up by 13.4%,while the information in 2021 that COVID-19 might continue to spread despite the introduction of vaccine reduced farmers'willingness by 4.4%.Second,farmers whose production was affected by COVID-19 were considerably less willing to scale up,given the access to COVID-19 information.Third,farmers'production willingness can predict their actual production behavior.

Factors influencing willingness to participate in ophthalmic clinical trials and strategies for effective recruitment

AIM:To explore the factors influencing individuals’willingness to participate in ophthalmic clinical trials.METHODS:A questionnaire survey was conducted from January to April 2021 among patients and their family members at Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center,Sun Yat-sen University,in Guangzhou,China.The survey gathered data on respondents’willingness,demographic and socioeconomic profiles,as well as their reasons and concerns regarding engagement in clinical trials.RESULTS:Of the 1078 residents surveyed(mean age 31.2±13.1y;65.8%females)in Guangzhou,749(69.5%)expressed a willingness to participate in future ophthalmic clinical trials.Specific characteristics associated with greater willingness included a younger age,lower annual income,higher education,prior participation experience,previous ophthalmic treatment,and a better understanding of clinical trials.With the exception of age,these characteristics were significantly linked to a higher willingness.The primary barrier to participation,expressed by 64.8%of those willing and 54.4%of those unwilling,was“Uncertain efficacy”.In terms of motivations,the willing group ranked“Better therapeutic benefits”(35.0%),“Professional monitoring”(34.3%),and“Trust in healthcare professionals”(33.1%)as their top three reasons,whereas the unwilling participants indicated“Full comprehension of the protocol”(46.2%)as the key facilitator.CONCLUSION:This study reveals a substantial willingness to participate in ophthalmic clinical trials and demonstrates the predictive role of demographic and socioeconomic factors.Variations in motivators and concerns between willing and unwilling participants highlight the significance of tailored recruitment strategies.Importantly,the need for and trust in healthcare professionals stand out as powerful motivations,underscoring the importance of enhancing physician-patient relationships,adopting patient-centered communication approaches,and addressing individualized needs to improve accrual rates.

Impact of Sharing Marketing on Marketing Willingness of Employees in Internet Decoration Industry

With the development of information technology,sharing marketing,as an innovative marketing method,plays an important role in promoting the marketing willingness and enthusiasm of employees in the Internet decoration industry.Based on the data obtained from the ques-tionnaire survey,this paper makes an empirical analysis of the impact of the economic value,social value,perceived ease of use,perceived convenience,enabling conditions and subjective norms of sharing marketing on the marketing willingness of employees in the Internet decoration industry.The results showed that the questionnaire had good internal consistency and construct validity.Through empirical analysis,it can be found that the economic value,social value,perceived ease of use,perceived convenience,enabling conditions and subjective norms of sharing marketing have a significant positive impact on employees'marketing willingness.

Asset specificity and farmers' intergenerational succession willingness of apple management

Understanding the factors behind apple farmers’willingness to pass on the management of their farms to their descendants is crucial to the continuity of apple production.Due to the high specificity of the human capital,physical assets,land assets,and geographical location in apple production,this study used a binary logistic regression and a mediating effect model to explore the impact of asset specificity on farmers’intergenerational succession willingness of apple management(FISWAM)and to examine the mediating effects of loss aversion in the impact of asset specificity on the FISWAM.The results showed that about 18.68%of the respondents expressed willingness to transfer their apple business between generations,and the FISWAM was generally weak.In addition to the negative impact of geographical location specificity(GLS),human capital specificity(HCS),physical assets specificity(PAS),and land assets specificity(LAS)can enhance the FISWAM.Loss aversion plays a partial mediating role in the impact of PAS,LAS,and GLS on the FISWAM.

Living environment shaped residents’willingness to pay for ecosystem services in Yangtze River Middle Reaches Megalopolis,China

Profound understanding on the diversity of local residents’willingness to pay(WTP)for ecosystem services(ESs)may aid evaluation of policy impacts by uncovering trade-offs and synergies for achieving sustainable environmental resource management.However,the reasons for the spatial preference heterogeneity of WTP are still unclear.In this study,an extensive survey with 4,580 residents in the Yangtze River Middle Reaches Megalopolis(YRMRM),central China,was carried out to investigate the public’s WTP to maintain and improve ESs.We identified key influencing factors and explored how they shaped the preference heterogeneity in WTP by random forest model and surface fitting method.Our results showed that 81.4% of residents reported WTP for ESs greater than zero.Water supply,waste treatment,food supply and raw material supply were the preferred ESs for residents.Living environment factors(i.e.,extent of farmland,water and forest near the residence)were found as the key drivers of WTP.Proximity to farmland,water and forests resulted in high WTP values for a series of specific ESs.The reasons for the heterogeneity of WTP are(1)the difference in proximity to farmland,water and forest(i.e.,the contributor to ESs),(2)the divergence of local residents’preferences for ESs.This study disclosed the heterogeneity and causes of public preferences in YRMRM,which could help policy and decision makers to develop eco-compensation initiatives towards conservative and sustainable use of the environmental resources.

The Impact of Destination Image on Tourist Willingness to Revisit:A Case Study of Nanning Garden Expo

The researcher aims to examine the impact of destination image of Nanning Garden Expo on tourist willingness to revisit.In this study,Nanning Garden Expo,a famous comprehensive park in Nanning,Guangxi,is selected as the research object.Based on previous literature and theories,the author analyzes and explores the relationship between the destination image of Nanning Garden Expo and tourist willingness to revisit.The research tool is questionnaire and the sample size of the survey data is calculated by Cochrane formula,and the data collection volume is 385.The statistics used in the data analysis are descriptive statistics including frequency distribution,percentage,mean,standard deviation,and inferential statistic for testing hypothesis.The researcher applies multiple regression analysis models to examine which independent variables have strong or weak relationships with dependent variables.Hypothesis test indicates that destination image has a significant positive impact on tourist willingness to revisit.Based on the results of the empirical study,relevant suggestions are proposed for how to enhance tourist willingness to revisit for Nanning Garden Expo and promote the healthy and sustainable development of tourism.

Tourists’Willingness to Pay for Recreation Services in Nyerere National Park,Tanzania:Are We Overvaluing or Undervaluing Our Nature Recreation Resources?

This study estimated tourists’Willingness to Pay(WTP)per day for recreation services in Nyerere National Park(NNP)and compared these values with daily travel costs that are incurred by tourists to visit NNP in order to inform whether recreation resources in the park are overvalued or undervalued.The study revealed that tourists’WTP per day for recreation services was estimated at$237.4 and$1521 for resident and non-resident tourists,respectively.The estimated tourists’WTP values exceed the daily travel costs currently incurred by tourists,which are$201.04 and$1517.97 for resident and non-resident tourists,respectively.This indicates that tourists are willing to spend more to enjoy recreation services in NNP,which signifies that recreation resources in NNP are slightly undervalued.In addi­tion,the findings disclosed that the largest share of tourist daily travel expenses is allocated to transportation services,and very little is paid to the park as a conservation fee.It was revealed that out of the daily travel expenses incurred by non-resident and resident tourists,only 4.62%and 2.23%are respectively paid directly to NNP as conservation fees.This study considers that allocation is not very fair;thus,NNP,in collaboration with TANAPA,needs to adjust the current entrance or conservation fee and reduce the transportation costs charged by tourist companies.The travel costs incurred by tourists,age,education,monthly income,site visited,substitute site,and quality of park were identified as significant factors in influencing tourists’WTP for recreation services in NNP.Thus,policies oriented to reduce tour­ists’transportation costs and improve the quality of national parks would attract more tourists to NNP.

Consumer willingness to pay for plastic bags levy and willingness to accept eco-friendly alternatives in Botswana

Plastic bags, though commonly used for packaging of goods, are highly durable and non- biodegradable. Plastic bag litter serves as a negative environmental externality detrimental to animal health and natural beauty of the environment. In an effort to curtail the excessive use of plastic bags in Botswana, the government introduced a plastic levy targeted at consumers at retail points. This study uses primary data collected from 367 respondents randomly selected from six geospatially and purposively selected shopping malls to determine the consumers＇ willingness to pay （WTP） for continued plastic bag usage and their willingness to accept （WTA） to shift to eco-friendly alternatives. The results of the study revealed that open dumping and burning of plastic litter are more common in Maun than in Gaborone, It also showed that there is a significant relationship between the level of education and W＇FP. Further, there is a significant variation in income and education in respect to environmental awareness. The government should improve its efforts of sensitizing the public about the improper disposal of plastic bags.

On Tibetan Students' Willingness to Communicate in EFL Classroom

Set as the primary and ultimate goal of language teaching process by MacIntyre et al.(1998),willingness to communicate in second language(L2 WTC) has been put much attention in L2 acquisition field.This study examined quantitatively the willingness to communicate in English as a foreign language(EFL WTC) in Tibetan context with a questionnaire.Tibetan college students' EFL WTC was found significantly lower than Han students.No significant difference was found between Tibetan male and female students in their EFL WTC.Causes were explored andsome pedagogical suggestions were made in this study.

Analysis on Influential Factors of Peasants' Willingness to Exit Homestead in Regions with Different Economy Development Levels——Taihe Village,Chaohu County-Level City,and Ancang Village,Taihu County as Examples

The research concluded peasants＇ willingness on homestead exiting and influential factors by questionnaire survey and interviewing in two villages with varied levels of economic development in Anhui Province.Comparisons were performed on subjective factors and objective factors were explored by Logistic regression.The results showed that both of education background and homestead use have positive correlation with peasants＇ willingness on homestead exit;the number of family members has negative effects on peasants in advanced village but the number of migrant workers or members living in cities has positive effects;the area of homestead has positive effects on peasants in underdeveloped village.Therefore,the emphasis should be varied on homestead exit upon village economy and it is necessary to reinforce homestead exit promotion at improving immigrants＇ reception work,social security,employment,and education.

Willingness to pay for colorectal cancer screening in Guangzhou

AIM To measure the willingness to pay for colorectal cancer screening in Guangzhou, and to identify those factors associated with it. METHODS A face-to-face questionnaire survey for pre-screening population from free and non-free colonoscopy districts was used to collect information on demographic characteristics, health behaviours, the intention of the cancer screenings and willingness to pay for colorectal cancer screening. A total of 1243 participants who took part in the pre-screening for colorectal cancer in Guangzhou were collected in the study. Categorical data were compared using the χ~2 test to analyse significant differences. Non-conditional logistic regression and multi-class logistic regression were also performed for multivariate analysis and to estimate the odds ratios.RESULTS The percentage of participants willing to pay for colorectal cancer screening was 91.7%. "Unnecessary" was the dominant reason that participants gave for their unwillingness, accounting for 63.1%. Of those who were willing to pay, 29.2%, 20.7%, 14.8%, 13.0% and 22.4% of participants were willing to pay less than $100, $100-$199, $200-299, $300-$399 and more than $400, respectively. Non-logistic regression analysis showed that respondents who were male, had a high level of education, were from the family with more children/older to raise, and accepted colorectal cancer screening were willing to pay for this screening. Multi-class logistic regression analysis showed that respondents with higher annual household income per capita, from government and private enterprises, government agency/institution and peasants, and less family medical expenditure were willing to pay more.CONCLUSION Willingness to pay for colorectal cancer screening in Guangzhou is high, but the amount of willing to pay is not much.

Pig farmers’ willingness to recover their production under COVID-19 pandemic shock in China-Empirical evidence from a farm survey

Pig farmers’willingness to recover production under the COVID-19 pandemic shock is significant to recover live pigs’supply in China in 2020.Increasing farmers’willingness to recover pig production contributes to enhance pig supply,stabilize the pig and pork market,and to improve pig farmers’income.This research studies the determinants of pig farmers’willingness to recover production under COVID-19 pandemic shock by applying survey data of 201 farmers in Huai’an City and Lin’an City and a logit regression model.The estimation results show that a farmer’s risk perception,the duration time of a farmer’s feed supply under COVID-19 pandemic shock,whether or not being a cooperative member,and a farmer’s knowledge on government’s policy designed to encourage pig production,a farmer’s education level and production experience are the key determinants to a farmer’s willingness to recover pig production.Thus,it’s important for policymakers to solve the problems for farmers to get access to feed during the pandemic,to encourage the development of cooperatives,as well as to issue and advocate policies to encourage pig production.The study contributes to the scant literature by providing fresh empirical evidences on determinants of farmers’willingness to recover pig production.It has significance to farmers and governments to enhance farmers’willingness to recover production,which contributes to secure pig supply in China after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Residents’ Willingness to Pay for Improving Air Quality in Jinan, China

Along with the progress of urbanization and environ- mental deterioration, residents’ desire for improved air quality is increasing. In order to quantify an individual’s willingness-to-pay (WTP) for improved air quality in Jinan of eastern China, a contingent valuation method (CVM) was employed. A sample of 1,500 residents was chosen on the basis of multistage sampling methods with face-to-face interviews by using a series of hypo-thetical, open-ended scenario questions which were designed to elicit the respondents’ WTP. Results showed that 59.7% of respondents were able to express their WTP and the mean WTP is 100 Chinese Yuan (CNY) per person per year. A probit model on the probability of a positive WTP and a regression model were developed to find the relationship between endogenous variables and WTP. Most parameters in the econometric analysis had the expected sign. Annual household income and expenditure on treating respiratory diseases significantly influence WTP. The rates of positive WTP and the monetary amount are larger for men than for women. Results also showed that people who lived in more polluted areas were willing to pay more for clean air. Unlike developed countries, clean air may only be considered as a public good in China in that more than 40% of respondents had no incen- tive to bear the costs of attempting to achieve better air quality, which indicates the relatively low environmental consciousness.

Chinese Public's Willingness to Pay for CO＿2 Emissions Reductions: A Case Study from Four Provinces/Cities

Contingent Valuation Method(CVM) was used to investigate the Chinese public's willingness to pay(WTP) for a policy to reduce CO2 emissions. Face to face interviews were conducted to collect 1,653 valid questionnaires from Beijing, Shanghai, Shandong province, and Fujian province. A model was constructed to understand the factors that influence WTP. The results indicate that the Chinese public is willing to pay CN 201.86 annually to support the policy of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Participants from Beijing show the highest WTP, followed by participants from Fujian and Shandong, while those from Shanghai report the lowest WTP. The findings reveal that participants with higher income, higher satisfaction with their current life, and awareness of climate issues are willing to pay more for CO2 emissions reductions. In addition, those who are young, male and members of the Communist Party also indicate a higher WTP. The results imply that translating the public's willingness to protect climate into actions should be taken into account in China's low carbon policy. There is a need to consider the difference in degree of willingness, among different social groups, to pay for emissions reductions if the market-based mechanisms such as carbon tax were designed to facilitate emissions reductions.

Willingness of farmers to participate in food traceability systems:improving the level of food safety

In order to solve frequently emerging food safety problems and adapt to the developing trends in the international food safety field, the Chinese government is establishing and developing food traceability systems. Whether or not food traceability sys- tems can guarantee food safety is a problem well worth discussing. Hence, we constructed a theoretical model to explore the effect of incentives in a food traceability system in order to improve food safety levels. The following results were obtained： enhancing the ef- fectiveness of a food traceability system, increasing the payment to farmers who supply safe agricultural products and strengthening the penalty for unsafe food supply actions are necessary conditions to improve the level of food safety. How to encourage farmers to use food traceability systems is another problem explored in our investigation. Based on a field survey on the willingness of vegetable growers to participate using a vegetable traceability system in Beijing, the first city in China to develop such a system, we used a de- scriptive statistics and a binary logistic regression model to investigate the factors which dominate the decision on the part of farmers to participate in a food safety system. The results indicate that i： younger farmers are more likely to get involved in a food traceability system than older farmers, ii： income from non-agricultural activities decreases the willingness of farmers to participate, iii： the high- er the cost-benefit ratio of growing vegetables, the more likely for farmers to engage in a food traceability system, iv： farmers with a great concern for food safety information have a high propensity to participate and v： increased penalties against unsafe food supply actions and high-risk expectation are adverse incentives. In contrast, high-price expectation is a positive incentive for farmers to par- ticipate, while agricultural training, government subsidies and being part of an industrial organization will significantly strengthen the confidence of farmers to participate in a food safety system.

Research on the Willingness to Accept Compensation and Compensation Sharing of Returning Land for Farming to Forestry in Zhangjiakou and Chengde Region

[Objective] The aim was to study the willingness to accept compensation and compensation sharing of returning land for farming to forestry in Zhangjiakou and Chengde region.[Method] Based on the investigation of farmers’ willingness to accept ecological compensation in Zhangjiakou and Chengde region,farmers’ willingness to accept compensation was quantized,and the calculation model of sharing rate of ecological compensation was established,finally the sharing rate of ecological compensation was calculated choosing water supply quantity as reference.[Result] Farmers’ willingness to accept compensation in Zhangjiakou and Chengde region was 2 740.5 yuan/(hm2·a),and returned farmland area was 429 700 hm2 in 2008,so the willingness to accept ecological compensation was up to 1.178 billion yuan/a.In addition,the ecological compensation sharing rate of government was 37.60% in Beijing,42.75% in Tianjing and 19.64% in Tangshan,and their ecological compensation funds were 443,504 and 231 million yuan,respectively.[Conclusion] The study could provide important foundation for the establishment of ecological compensation standard and implementation of ecological compensation in Zhangjiakou and Chengde region.

Willingness of Rural Households in Mountainous Areas towards Land Transfer——A Case of Beiliang Village, Wuxiang County, Shanxi Province

In this paper, the Beiliang Village, Wuxiang County of Shanxi Province is chosen as the study object. The methods investigation and interview are applied. And then the status quo of land transfer is analyzed from the aspects of private land transfer, the form of land transference, the land transfer fee, the contracts of the land transfer and farmers' knowledge on land transfer law and so on. Through the investigation and research on peasant households' willingness towards land transfer and the factors that affect the land transfer, the willingness of farmers' land transfer in recent years are transferred. Farmers' land transfer willingness in recent years is clear. On the strength of the analysis, the scientific basis for the reasonable transfer of land in mountainous areas is put forward for optimizing the land distribution and promoting the sustainable and healthy development of rural economy. The countermeasures aim at accelerating land transfer, increasing farmers' income; stringing the development of rural education, increasing the support on three agricultural problems concerning agriculture, countryside and farmers, and standardizing the rural land transfer behaviors are put forwarded as well.

Assessing the externalities of a ski resort in Tzoumerka:willingness to pay in order to promote or to prevent its construction

The present study aims to assess the externalities of a ski resort,that is planned to be built at Tzoumerka mountains,in Greece.The research relies on the Contingent Valuation method,which indirectly estimates the economic value of environmental and other nonmarket assets,based on the expressed preferences of members of a social group.The investigation was based on primary data.The core idea of questionnaire’s design,is subject to the use of a double WTP(willingness to pay)question,aiming at the monetary assessment of the attitude of the residents,regarding the upcoming infrastructure project,taking into account both its positive and its negative externalities.Depending on the attitude of the survey respondents,they were asked to decide if they wish to offer an amount of money either to promote or to prevent the construction of the ski resort.Parametric and non-parametric models were then applied in order to calculate in economic terms the expressed opinion of the respondents.The primary question to be answered is whether the willingness to build the ski resort holds a higher economic value than the desire to prevent it.According to the results of the survey,the vast majority of residents(92.4%)supported the idea of building the ski resort,projecting their apparent desire for the tourist and economic development of the area.The reinforcement of the construction idea of the project was estimated on average at €378,200.The very low proportion of the participants who disagreed with the project(5%),did not allow the economic assessment of its prevention,leaving room for further research into the application of Contingent Valuation method and its contribution in cost-benefit analysis and decision making,regarding upcoming projects.

Reported Willingness and Associated Factors Related to Utilization of Voluntary Counseling and Testing Services by Female Sex Workers in Shandong Province,China

Objective To explore reported willingness and factors associated with utilization of voluntary counseling and testing services by female sex workers （FSWs） in China and to offer recommendations to optimize use of such services. Methods A questionnaire to explore willingness to use VCT was designed based on social ecological theory and formative qualitative research. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among FSWs from entertainment venues. Single and multiple logistic regression analyses were employed to examine factors associated with reported willingness to utilize VCT. Results A total of 970 FSWs provided valid questionnaires, with 69% （669） expressing willingness to utilize VCT. Factors at the interpersonal level associated with reported willingness included knowledge about VCT, desire to get help if diagnosed as HIV positive, ability to imagine life after an HIV positive diagnosis, and perceived support for VCT from peers, managers, and family members. Availability of free antiretroviral （ARV） treatment represented a factor at policy level. Other factors included intention to leave sex work in the near future, having had a previous HIV test, and lack of a suspected STD history. Conclusions The rate of reported willingness to use VCT among FSWs was substantially higher than that of actual VCT utilization （11%）. The next step is to explore the connection between reported willingness and actual use. Based on these findings, peer education, VCT knowledge dissemination, and free ARV treatment should be emphasized to increase FSWs＇ willingness to use VCT.

South Carolina forestland owners’ willingness to accept compensations for carbon sequestration

Background: Carbon sequestration through recommended forest management practices is an ecosystem service that helps mitigate climate change and its impacts while generating carbon credits for forestland owners to sell in cap-and-trade programs. The California’s cap-and-trade program (California’s carbon market hereafter) allows forestland owners from any part of the contiguous United States to supply carbon credits to compliance entities. In this study, we estimate South Carolina (SC) private forestland owners’willingness to accept compensations to participate in the California’s carbon market using a contingent valuation method. Results: We estimate forestland owners’mean willingness to accept as$67 per acre per year. Our results reveal higher probability of participation of forestland owners with interests in preserving forest ecosystems than those who do not. Additionally, forestland owners who trust in information about climate change from scientists or government are willing to participate more than those who do not. Conclusions: Various factors hinder landowners’ability to participate in carbon markets. Forestland owners in SC consider legislative uncertainty and long-time commitment as the main barriers to participation in California’s carbon market. From this research, average forestland tenure in SC is 27 years, which is far less than the 100-year time commitment of the California’s carbon market. Of those who agreed to participate, choosing between adopting and not adopting any of the three main forest management practices in the California’s carbon market:28% are likely to adopt improved forest management (IFM) practices, 24% are likely to adopt reforestation due to understocked forestlands, and 14% are likely to adopt avoided conversion. In another development, the concept of aggregation has dominated discussions in the California’s carbon market of late. It is an advocacy to include small-scale forestlands in the California’s carbon market. To aggregate, different forestland owners will combine their forestlands to participate. We find that 79% of SC forestland owners are willing to aggregate to participate. However, this research is unable to determine how much total forestland is available in SC for carbon market. We recommend future research in the State on forestland owners’participation in carbon market should consider evaluating forestland availability.