TIMING EFFECTS IN HEALTH VALUATIONS
通过冬季和秋季两轮调查，研究致命雪崩事故频率的季节变化如何影响个人对降低死亡风险的支付意愿，发现冬季支付意愿略低且统计显著，建议在风险估值调查中控制时间因素。
This paper analyzes the impact of external sources of information, conveyed by the frequency of risky events that vary across time, on the individual willingness to pay (WTP) for a reduction of mortality risk. We collected data from a contingent valuation (CV) exercise conducted in two waves (fall and winter) to examine whether individual WTP varied across periods that differed in the predominance of fatal accidents. Risk valuations were based on fatal snow avalanche accidents, that is, a type of risk with seasonal differences in occurrence. We found slightly lower but statistically significant mean WTP figures in the winter than in the fall sample because of time-varying individual risk attitudes and, therefore, recommend controlling for these factors in risk assessment CV surveys.