Influence of COVID-19 on Consumer Preference for Turfgrass Attributes in the Southern United States

Abstract

This study estimates the influence of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on consumer preferences for turfgrass attributes by analyzing data from two surveys conducted in Jan 2019 and Apr 2021. First, the study estimated a mixed logit model to account for individual heterogeneity in preferences. Subsequently, estimates of the willingness to pay (WTP) were compared between periods before and after the pandemic. To show the impact of consumers’ risk attitudes with respect to climate change on their preference for turfgrass attributes, we re-estimated the model according to the risk attitude groups (i.e., risk-seeking vs. risk-averse). Finally, to examine how consumers’ demographic characteristics and risk attitudes are related to their WTP for improved turfgrass attributes, we estimated a random-effect panel data model for each attribute. Our results showed that, overall, consumers’ WTP increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. We also found that the WTP of risk-averse consumers were mostly higher than those of risk-seeking consumers during both time periods. Furthermore, the increase in the WTP observed among the risk-averse group was greater than the increase of the WTP of the risk-seeking group. Our findings imply that the demand for drought-tolerant and stress-resistant turfgrasses would increase with possible future climate changes and infectious disease outbreaks.