Accept or Pay? A Study of the WTA–WTP Disparity Due to Airborne Lead Pollution

This research aims to evaluate the economic valuation of lead air pollution in the AA.HH. Virgen de Guadalupe, Callao, Peru. A survey was conducted with 182 residents, focusing on air quality, temporary exposure to pollution, aesthetic appreciation of the environment, willingness to accept (WTA) economic compensation, and willingness to pay (WTP) to mitigate lead air pollution. The data were analyzed using the logit model through STATA16 software. The results revealed that 62.09% of respondents were willing to accept economic compensation, while 56.04% expressed willingness to pay for reducing lead pollution. Furthermore, it was determined that the average monthly WTP is PEN 62.48 (USD 16.47), amounting to PEN 1,201,865.28 (USD 329,103.16) annually for the entire population of 1603 residents. In contrast, the average monthly WTA per resident is PEN 153.59 (USD 40.48), totaling PEN 2,954,457.24 (USD 809,010.16) annually due to lead air pollution. The study concluded that environmental perception, awareness, the desire to maximize present utility, and uncertainty about the future significantly influence the economic valuation of lead air pollution in this community.