Using eye tracking to account for attribute non-attendance in choice experiments

Abstract

This study uses eye-tracking measures to account for attribute non-attendance (ANA) in choice experiments. Using the case of sustainability labelling on coffee, we demonstrate various approaches to account for ANA based on the fixation count cut-offs, definitions for detecting ignored attributes, and methods for modelling ANA. Some of the sustainability attributes identified through eye-tracking measures as being ‘visually ignored’ were truly ignored, whereas in none of the tested approaches was price truly ignored. The adequacy of eye tracking as a visual ANA measure might thus depend on the type of attribute. Further, the study unveiled inconsistencies in identifying non-attenders using visual ANA and the coefficient of variation. Based on our results, we cannot conclude that eye tracking always adequately identifies ANA. However, we identified several major challenges that can assist in further optimising the use of eye tracking in the context of ANA.