The Role of Spatially Varying Descriptive Norm Nudges on Public Valuation of Ecosystem Services Associated with Improved Soil Health

This study examines public values for ecosystem services (ES) associated with soil health in agricultural lands. We use a choice experiment of Nebraska residents to investigate the effect of descriptive norm nudging on willingness-to-pay (WTP) for ES. Empirical results show an overall positive WTP for ES-generating policies but significant differences across treatment groups. Results show a higher WTP for a social norm nudge that refers to a relatively large geographic area (state versus county). Results also show that total WTP for state households would pay for conservation practice incentives on less than 10% of cropland.