The terms in this manual are defined as follows. An "attribute" is a characteristic or feature of an alternative. A "level" or "attribute level" represents the value of an attribute. One attribute can have two or more levels. An "alternative" is a combination of attributes; that is, one alternative can have two or more attributes. For example, when applying choice experiments to marketing research, the alternatives would refer to the "goods" or "services" that respondents are asked to select. A "choice set" refers to a set of alternatives available to individuals. One choice set includes two or more alternatives, including an opt-out alternative, if one exists. In a choice experiment question, respondents are usually asked to select the most preferred alternative from a choice set; therefore, one choice set constitutes a choice experiment question. A "choice experiment design" refers to a collection of individual choice sets.The following shows an example of a choice experiment design. The choice experiment design includes a total of 9 choice sets (Q1 to Q9). Each choice set (question) consists of three alternatives ("Alternative 1," "Alternative 2," and "None of these" option). "Alternative 1" and "Alternative 2" each consist of three attributes: an attribute A with the three levels of "a1," "a2," and "a3"; an attribute B with the three levels of "b1," "b2," and "b3"; and an attribute C with the three levels of "c1," "c2," and "c3."
c{
}
Q1. Please select your most preferred alternative from the following:
lcc{
Alternative 1 Alternative 2
Attribute A a2 a3
Attribute B b2 b3
Attribute C c2 c3
}
- I select alternative 2.
- I select none of these.