Consumers’ valuation for cultured meat: a multi-city choice experiment in China

Rao, Y. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2274-8450, Asioli, D. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2274-8450, Shaosheng, J. and Nayga, R. M. (2021) Consumers’ valuation for cultured meat: a multi-city choice experiment in China. In: 2021 AAEA Annual Meeting, AUG 01-03 2021, Austin, Texas, United States. doi: 10.22004/ag.econ.313957

Abstract/Summary

Despite the rising interest in the concept of cultured meat, there remains scant information about whether consumers would value it. This study evaluated, for the first time, consumers’ willingness-to-pay (WTP) for cultured chicken breast using a choice experiment in three large Chinese cities: Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. We also explored the effect of different types of information, including positive information, negative information, and a combination of positive and negative information (i.e. mixed information) on consumers’ WTP for cultured chicken breast. Results showed that consumers were willing to pay a premium price for cultured chicken breast. Information effects depended on consumer demographics and prior beliefs concerning cultured meat. Young consumers with higher education level were more sensitive to mixed information, while consumers who had heard about cultured meat prior to the study and were willing to buy cultured meat in the future were more responsive to negative information. The results have practical implications for pricing, marketing, policy makers, and educational programs related to cultured meat.