Experimental Design Details
This study received cooperation from the Oita Prefecture Commerce, Industry and Tourism and Labor Department.
First, all subjects will be asked to read the sentences about the state of COVID-19 in Oita prefecture. Next, they will be asked to ask four “YES” or “NO” questions based on the above sentences. If subjects answer all questions correctly, then they will proceed to the main survey questionnaires. The remaining subjects will not be able to participate in it, and therefore, we do not make use of their data.
After that, about 6,300 subjects will be randomly assigned to one of seven groups, meaning that the number of one group is about 900 people. Except for hypothetical situations, they will face the almost all questions.
Our main question in the situation in each group is:
G1 (No government subsidization group): Assume there is no government subsidization under GO TO Travel. Will you go to Oita after January 2022?
G2 (Government subsidization group): Under 2020 GO TO Travel, the government subsidized half the total price for domestic stays or day trips. It is assumed that the same subsidy will be provided. Would you travel to Oita after January 2022?
G3 (Altruistic nudge-based text plus Government subsidization group): Suppose that local economies, including Oita Prefecture, are in poverty, and local tourism is very welcoming to tourists from outside Oita Prefecture. Under 2020 GO TO Travel, the government subsidized half the total price for domestic stays or day trips. It is assumed that the same subsidy will be provided. Will you go to Oita after January 2022?
G4 (Post-COVID plus government subsidization group): Assuming that vaccines or therapeutics are developed, new domestic infections are zero, and there is zero risk of coronavirus infections including that for traveling companions, and the government will subsidize half the total price for domestic stays or day trips as they did under GO TO Travel in 2020, will you go to Oita after January 2022?
G5 (Vaccine passports plus government subsidization group): Assuming that you and all of your traveling companions are vaccinated and have vaccine passports, and the government will subsidize half the total price for domestic stays or day trips as they did under GO TO Travel in 2020, will you go to Oita after January 2022?
G6 (Reduced business hour restriction in Oita prefecture plus government subsidization group): Assuming that businesses in Oita Prefecture will be operating under reduced business hour restrictions, and therefore, food and beverage establishments other than those offering alcohol or karaoke (which will not be operational) will remain open until 8:00 pm, and the government will subsidize half the total price for domestic stays or day trips as they did under GO TO Travel in 2020, will you go to Oita after January 2022?
G7 (Emergency of COVID-19 for Tokyo and Osaka plus government subsidization group): If a state of emergency is declared for Tokyo and Osaka, or the government subsidizes half the total price for domestic stays or day trips as they did under GO TO Travel in 2020, will you go to Oita after January 2022?
After the main question, they will be asked to answer the following questions under each group’s situation.
C1: How many people will you take to go sightseeing with in Oita?
C2: When you finally arrive at Oita Prefecture, which means of transportation will you use?
C3: Under 2020 GO TO Travel, the government subsidized half the total price for domestic stays or day trips. It is assumed that the same subsidy will be provided. If you travel to Oita, which of the following day trips or stays would you choose? Provided that, according to last year's (2020) Oita tourism survey, the average number of stays was 1.2, the maximum number of stays was 4, and the minimum number of stays was 0 (day trips).
C4: How often do you dine out in a day?
C5: Under 2020 GO TO Travel, the government subsidized half the total price for domestic stays or day trips. It is assumed that the same subsidy will be provided. Please tell us the amount that you think you can pay within Oita Prefecture individually.
Note: Does not include government subsidies. Please write down the amount of money that you can pay by yourself. Provided that the last year's (2020) Oita tourism survey was as follows.
C5-1: Total transportation expenses in Oita Prefecture
C5-2: Lodging expenses per person per night in Oita Prefecture
C5-3: Total cost of souvenir purchases in Oita Prefecture
C5-4: Total food and beverage expenses in Oita Prefecture
C6: Under 2020 GO TO Travel, the government subsidized half the total price for domestic stays or day trips. It is assumed that the same subsidy will be provided. Hence, please inform us about the coronavirus infection prevention measures you plan to implement during your travel to Oita.
C6-1: Wear a washable mask.
C6-2: Wear a non-woven mask.
C6-3: Carry alcohol disinfectants (sprays, sheets, etc.).
C6-4: Use alcohol antibacterial sprays (installed for visitors).
C6-5: Regular handwash and gargle.
C6-6: Do not touch areas that have been touched several times by other people (such as doorknobs or handrails).
C6-7: Avoid closed spaces with bad ventilation.
C6-8: Avoid dense spaces wherein many people gather.
C6-9: Avoid close spaces with close conversations.
C6-10: Maintain distance from surrounding people.
C6-11: Ensure safety during meals (avoid buffets and eating while walking).
C7: Who do you live with?
C8: Please tell us your annual income (pretax) for fiscal year 2020.
C9: Please tell us your current coronavirus infection prevention measures.
C9-1: Wear a washable mask.
C9-2: Wear a non-woven mask.
C9-3: Carry alcohol disinfectants (sprays, sheets, etc.).
C9-4: Use alcohol antibacterial sprays (installed for visitors).
C9-5: Regular handwash and gargle.
C9-6: Do not touch areas that have been touched several times by other people (such as doorknobs or handrails).
C9-7: Avoid closed spaces with bad ventilation.
C9-8: Avoid dense spaces wherein many people gather.
C9-9: Avoid close spaces with close conversations.
C9-10: Maintain distance from surrounding people.
C9-11: Ensure safety during meals (avoid buffets and eating while walking).
C10: Please rate your current fear of coronavirus disease.
C11: Please provide a response on your risk of being infected with the coronavirus.
C12: How many times have you gone to Oita for travel in the past?
C13: Are you in favor of a coronavirus vaccine passport?
C14: If present conditions persist, are you in favor of resuming GO TO Travel in January 2022?
C15: Finally, they will be asked to answer “Please answer the following questions by giving a score of 1 to 7 of how much you want to travel to Oita.” for G1-G7.
Note1:
Note that all subjects cannot go back to the previous page and hence, they cannot change the previous decisions.
Note 2:
The questions in C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, C7 will be based on the face-to-face questions conducted in Oita prefecture. Therefore, we compare our results with their ones.
Note 3:
Almost all questions in C1-C15 will be used in our simulation, in synthesized data of the entire Japanese population, to estimate the welfare changes caused by the spread of COVID-19.
Note 4:
Based on the data on the Oita Prefecture Commerce, Industry and Tourism and Labor Department, we found that almost all tourists (over 90 percent) of Oita Prefecture were from Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, Kumamoto, Saga, Miyazaki, Kagoshima, and Nagasaki prefectures. Therefore, our subjects were from these prefectures.