Does question format matter? Valuing an endangered species

A three-way treatment design is used to compare contingent valuation respon se formats. Respondents are asked to value an endangered species (the red-c ockaded woodpecker) and the restoration of its habitat following a natural disaster. For three question formats (open-ended, payment card, and double- bounded dichotomous choice), differences in survey response rates, item non -response rates, and protest bids are examined. Bootstrap techniques are us ed to compare means across formats and to explore differences in willingnes s to pay (WTP) distribution functions. Convergent validity is found in a co mparison of mean WTP values, although some differences are apparent in the cumulative distribution functions. Differences across formats are also iden tified in item non-response rates and proportion of protest bids. Overall, the payment card format exhibits desirable properties relative to the other two formats.