For Me or for My Relatives? Approximating Self-Protection and Local Altruistic Motivations Underlying Preferences for Public Health Policies Using Risk Perception Metrics

Daniel, A.M.; Mouter, N.; Chorus, C.G.

doi:10.1016/j.jval.2022.05.017

For Me or for My Relatives? Approximating Self-Protection and Local Altruistic Motivations Underlying Preferences for Public Health Policies Using Risk Perception Metrics

Title

For Me or for My Relatives? Approximating Self-Protection and Local Altruistic Motivations Underlying Preferences for Public Health Policies Using Risk Perception Metrics

Author

Daniel, A.M. (TU Delft Transport and Logistics)
Mouter, N. (TU Delft Transport and Logistics)
Chorus, C.G. (TU Delft Engineering, Systems and Services)

Department

Engineering, Systems and Services

Date

2022

Abstract

Objectives: Research efforts evaluating the role of altruistic motivations behind health policy support are usually based on direct preference elicitation procedures, which may be biased. We propose an indirect measurement approach to approximate self-protection–related and altruistic motivations underlying preferences for public health policies. Methods: Our new approach relies on associations between on the one hand decision makers’ perceived health risk for themselves and for close relatives and on the other hand their observed preferences for health policies that reduce such risks. The approach allows to make a rough distinction between health-related self-protection and local altruistic motives behind preferences for health policies. We illustrate our approach using data obtained from a discrete choice experiment in the context of policies to relax coronavirus-related lockdown measures in The Netherlands. Results: Our results show that the approach is able to uncover that (1) people who think they have a high chance of experiencing health risks from a COVID-19 infection are more willing to accept a societal or personal sacrifice, (2) people with a higher health risk perception for their relatives have a higher willingness to accept sacrifices than people with a higher health risk perception for themselves, and (3) people who perceive that they have a high risk of dying of COVID-19 have a higher willingness to accept sacrifices than those anticipating less severe consequences of COVID-19. Conclusions: Our method offers a useful proxy metric to distinguish health-related self-protection and local altruism as drivers of citizens’ responses to healthcare policies.

Subject

discrete choice
health policy
local altruism
risk perception
self-protection

To reference this document use:

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:19f0ebb7-1a77-4dec-ab80-90e141cbf164

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jval.2022.05.017

ISSN

1098-3015

Source

Value in Health, 26 (1), 99-103

Part of collection

Institutional Repository