Resumen de Intent scales in economic impact studies: a case study

Donna M. Anderson

• The portion of the economic impact of an event attributable to nonlocal visitor spending typically involves surveying visitors on the amount of money they spent or planned on spending at local businesses. Hoowever, this self-reported information can overstate the direct effect portion of an economic impact if the planned spending does not accur. The purpose of this study is to explore the use of intent scale translations that convert a respondent's stated purchase intentions into actual purchase probabilities. Using in-person surveys of a sample of visitors to a Midwestern US wildlife festival, results show a significant difference exists between total reported spending and spending when intent scales are considered. Thus, the use of intent scales has the potential of providing a more accurate estimate of planned visitor spending.