ABSOLUTE VERSUS RELATIVE RISK PERCEPTIONS: AN APPLICATION TO ECONOMIC VALUES OF SEAFOOD SAFETY

We examine the impact of multiple risks of related goods on consumption of a risky good. We argue that the consumption of a risky good depends on both its absolute risk level and its relative risks to other risky goods. Seafood consumption in eastern North Carolina is studied. We elicit, in a survey, the individual perceived risks as the reference points to derive the economic value of reducing health risk in seafood consumption. Revealed and stated data are combined to trace out demand changes in response to absolute and relative risk reductions. Our results show that seafood consumption is affected by the perceived absolute risk and by the relative risk to poultry, which confirms that individuals react to the multiple risks in a nonlinear way--as predicted by our analytical model