Assessing hypothetical bias: An analysis beyond the mean of functional food

- Experimental auctions with independent samples (between treatments).
- Joint use of explicit and implicit measures to collect data on technophobic traits.
- The Oaxaca Blinder decomposition helps to explain the hypothetical bias.
- It assess the role of technophobic trait in addressing WTP and the magnitude of the bias.

In this study, the experimental auction method is used in a between-sample analysis to assess hypothetical bias and willingness to pay (WTP) for canned crushed tomatoes enriched with lycopene. The empirical analysis indicates the presence of a statistically significant bias between hypothetical and real bids at different levels of bids. The difference in bids for the functional and control products defines the implicit WTP variable. WTP exhibits a statistically significant total difference between real and hypothetical bids increasing at the upper and lower levels of bids. Implicit WTP shows differences that are of opposite signs and that balance on average. Focusing on the factors driving the bias, the empirical analysis indicates two primary groups of variables: socio-demographic variables and attitude toward food technologies.