Consumers’ willingness to pay for dairy products : what the studies say ? A Meta-Analysis.
Résumé
Willingness to pay (WTP) and consumer's preferences for dairy products (milk, yogurt, butter and cheese) have attracted attention of researchers. Therefore, several studies have focused on the question of the measure of WTP for these different products. However, these studies found a value of WTP, which is positive or negative between different dairy products, or through the same types of products. We conduct a metaanalysis with the aim to observe the different factors, which can explain the variations of the results of the studies. Therefore, we selected 24 studies (corresponding to 165 observations) which estimates the WTP of consumers for dairy products. A Geographical Indication (GI), a Bio label or other signs of quality, differentiates these products. As main results, we found that on average, label's effect is an important quality signal for consumers of dairy products. Indeed, on average, Geographical Indications (GI) and bio label (BIO), have a high WTP compared to other signals. On the other hand, consumers seem to have a higher WTP for dairy products derived from cow's milk and goat's milk compared to sheep milk. Among dairy products, Cheese has on average a WTP downward compared to other dairy products. Finally, we highlighted that the French consumers have on average a high WTP for dairy products compared to consumers in other countries. These results are robust, with survey based on a sample of consumers and a scanner data based on a sample of prices. These results remain robust, with cluster and boostrap options.