a b s t r a c t
An increase in the amount of packaging consumed in the U.S. has put pressure on companies to take
responsibility for the entire life-cycle of their product. This study uses discrete choice experiments to
assess consumer willingness to pay (WTP) for packaging materials and recyclability of a beverage product.
A between-subject design was used to analyze the effectiveness of indirect questioning in addressing
issues of social desirability bias as well as the effects of information on consumer behavior. Consumer
WTP for packaging material was highest for plastic packaging, followed by glass, carton and aluminum.
Our empirical analysis reveals that indirect questioning results in WTP values for packaging recyclability
that are 60% lower than those obtained from direct questioning. We find that information from a video
treatment had a significant and positive effect on consumer preferences and demand for packaging recyclability.
Our results suggest that more scrutiny should be placed on studies that do not address social
desirability bias when evaluating recycling behavior.