Using choice experiment to assess urban consumer preferences for chicken in Ghana

Purpose Meat quality and safety crises continue to scare consumers globally. The study assessed consumers' preferences and choice of three chicken brands and their willingness to pay (WTP) for enhanced versions. Design/methodology/approach Using multi-stage sampling technique, 400 chicken consumers were selected for multi-attribute choice data. Descriptive and inferential statistics, specifically relative importance index, probit, truncated and tobit regressions, were the methods of data analysis. Findings The study found that majority of chicken consumers are knowledgeable about important chicken attributes, prefer chicken produced locally and sold at supermarket/cold store outlets. Even though not all consumers were willing to pay premiums for enhanced attributes, majority of those willing were prepared to pay up to 10% increase in the base price. Sex, educational level, market type, overall perceived attributes of local chicken were key factors influencing WTP decision and amounts to pay. Research limitations/implications The study used only urban households. Future studies should include rural households to check the dynamics in demand for local and imported chicken in Ghana. Originality/value This paper is the first known study to apply choice experiment to three different chicken brands, truly mimicking a typical Ghanaian chicken market where buyers are confronted with different choice decisions.