Valuing scenic amenity using life satisfaction data
Survey
HILDA
Author(s)
Date Issued
2011-03
Publisher
Griffith University
Keywords
Non-market Valuation
Life Satisfaction
Happiness
Scenic Amenity
Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA)
Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
Abstract
The life satisfaction approach has recently emerged as a new technique in the suite of options available to non-market valuation practitioners. Employing data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey and Geographic Information Systems (GIS), this paper examines the influence of scenic amenity on the life satisfaction of residents of South East Queensland (SEQ), Australia. Measuring scenic amenity on a 10-point scale, it is found that, on average, a respondent is willing to pay approximately AUD$12,000 in household income per annum to obtain a one-unit improvement in scenic amenity. However, on closer inspection, we find that the relationship between willingness-to-pay and the level of scenic amenity is not linear. To our knowledge, this is the first paper to value scenic amenity using the life satisfaction approach and is the first paper to use this approach to value any type of environmental good or service in SEQ. As such, this paper represents a genuine contribution to a small, yet growing, body of literature.
ISBN
ISSN 1837-7750
Subjects
Type
Reports and technical papers
