Choice for goods under threat of destruction

• A framed field experiment mimics a common conservation dilemma.
• 214 adults from 76 institutions made choices for sets of wine.
• The threat of destruction shifts preferences towards the more rare option.
• Conservation professionals and economists exhibit similar behaviors.

The choices related to preservation often involve consideration of the fate of the non-selected land. Yet, theory traditionally assumes that the fate of non-selected goods does not influence consumers’ preferences. Results from a framed field experiment involving the private choice of wine show that consumer preferences can dramatically shift for items under the threat of imminent destruction. This shift (upwards of 58% increase) may explain why conservation professionals, despite decades of scientific evidence, have failed to adopt cost-effective techniques that would yield large conservation benefits at no additional cost. Interestingly, economists exhibit similar preference shifts.