An Economic Analysis of Coastal Beach Safety Information-Seeking Behavior

Abstract

We estimate a bivariate probit model using data from a survey of Maine and New Hampshire beachgoers to (i) assess the impact of exposure to and contact with beach waters on safety information-seeking behaviors, and (ii) compare information-seeking behaviors for surf conditions and water quality information. We find that individuals who engage in certain high-contact recreation activities (i.e., swimming, fishing, surfing) are more likely to seek out safety information and that some potential drivers of this behavior affect searches differently for surf conditions versus water quality information.Key Words: cost-effective risk communication, information-seeking behavior, risk, water qualityBeaches are important economic, social, and cultural assets. Coastal beaches host a range of recreation activities, from wading in calm shallows to surfing in rough waters. These areas attract large numbers of visitors nationally: an estimated 43 percent of the U.S. population visited a beach between (Cordell 2012. Those who recreate on beaches often travel great distances to visit, suggesting that they place a high economic value on these resources. Many studies estimate the value of a recreational day on beaches in diverse coastal systems across the nation. These estimates vary by region and study methods, and per-person-per-day values 1 range from $24.22 for beachgoers in San Diego County (Lew and Larson 2008), to $77.56 for

The Value of Beach Conditions Information

“…Also, respondents visiting the beach for reasons not involving contact with the water and/or less-influenced by weather were less likely to give an affirmative WTP response. The effect of reason for visiting is consistent with the findings of Kaminski et al (2017), who found that beachgoers who engage in activities that do not involve contact with water tend not to seek out beach conditions information. The likelihood of an affirmative WTP response increases significantly with the number of information types of interest to respondents, the expected number of additional good beach days resulting from access to beach information, and the level of confidence that the survey will influence availability of the app.…”

“…evidence that this may be the case for beach visits (Kaminski et al 2017;Murray, Sohngen, and Pendleton 2001;Pendleton, Martin, and Webster 2001;and Penn et al 2014).…”

“…If one was aware of adverse conditions, one could reschedule or visit a different beach, resulting in a higher-quality visit relative to not having the information. Positive economic value for real-time or web-enabled information services have been demonstrated in areas such as transportation (Molin and Timmermans 2006) and agriculture (Kenkel and Norris 1995), and the literature provides some 1 See: weather (Sabir, van Ommeren, and Rietveld 2013); crowds (McConnell 1977;Penn et al 2015;Tratalos et al 2013); surf conditions (Kaminski et al 2017); water quality (Awondo, Egan, and Dwyer 2011;Beharry-Borg and Scarpa 2010;Hynes, Tinch, and Hanley 2013;Peng and Oleson 2017;Penn et al 2014); beach debris (Smith, Zhang, and Palmquist 1997;Loomis and Santiago 2013;Leggett et al 2013); parking (Braun and Soskin 2002;Whitehead et al 2008); the view (Fooks et al 2017;Ladenburg 2010); services provided Larson 2005, 2008;Garcia-Morales et al 2018); beach length and width, sand quality, and renourishment (Parsons et al 2013;Gopalakrishnan et al 2011;Parsons, Massey, and Tomasi 1999;Pendleton et al 2012;Shivlani, Letson, and Theis 2003;Silberman and Klock 1988); and red tide events (Larkin and Adams 2007;Parsons et al 2009;Morgan, Larkin, and Adams 2010).…”

Can the visualization of rip currents prevent drowning accidents? Consideration of the effect of optimism bias

“…To prevent drowning accidents due to rip currents, previous studies have focused on placing warning signs, lifesaving surveillance, and beach ags, to indicate the safe swimming areas, or rip currents and other hazards (Ménard et al, 2018). However, studies that have evaluated the effectiveness of signs suggest that less than half of the beachgoers are not aware of signs posted on the beach (Matthews, Andronaco, & Adams, 2014;Brannstrom et al, 2015;Kaminski et al, 2017). It has also been suggested that many people did not prepare for or avoid rip currents, even if they were aware of the warning signs (Siegrist & Gutscher, 2006;Karanci, Aksit, and Dirik, 2005;Hall & Slothower, 2009).…”

Fatores associados aos óbitos e ataques de tubarão: um estudo transversal

“…Beaches are great attractions for people to visit in leisure activities, such as running, surfing and swimming, and directly influence the economy, mainly in countries with tropical climate (1) . However, activities at sea require attention, as they can be the scene of accidents and shark attacks, which more commonly occur in hot seasons, where the sea surface temperature favors the presence of animals, and because there is greater movement of people in aquatic recreation activities.…”