A survey to predict the willingness to pay by Italians for still and sparkling ciders

The research was aimed at investigating willingness to pay (WTP) of Italian consumers/potential consumers of still and sparkling cider varieties. The research was also oriented to quantify the possible premium price for the purchase of ciders produced from red-fleshed apples, compared with the corresponding product obtained from white-fleshed apples. A questionnaire was administered using the Google ‘Forms’ application, which obtained 336 answers. Ordered probit models were used to estimate the impact of several socio-demographic characteris- tics, allergy to sulphites, practical knowledge, and preference of WTP for still and sparkling cider varieties as well as the premium price that respondents were willing to pay for their rosé versions. The average WTP values for a 750-mL bottle of still and sparkling cider varieties were €6.91 and €9.59, respectively; the average premium price for the corresponding rosé versions was €0.12 and €0.39, respectively. Gender (p < 0.05), practical knowledge, and frequency of consumption (p < 0.1) were significant predictors of WTP for still cider, while age allowed prediction for the sparkling version (p < 0.1).