Estimate People’s Willingness to Pay for the Use of Information and Communication Technology in Tackling the Social Consequences of the Corona Pandemic

Aims: The spread of the Corona pandemic has affected the status of companies involved in information and communication technology. This study aimed to investigate individuals’ subjective perspectives on the use of ICT (online businesses, virtual meetings, e-learning, and generally the role and impact of cyberspace) and finally evaluate people’s willingness to pay. Materials & Methods: In this study, a conditional logit model was used. The required information was collected through a field survey by completing a questionnaire from ۳۸۴ respondents of Tehran citizens in ۲۰۲۱. Findings: Based on the information from the questionnaires filled, more than ۷۵% of the respondents rated the use of cyberspace capabilities for encountering Corona disease as moderate and high. The result of estimating people’s willingness to pay for the feature of “use of information and communication technology” in the present study was ۵۶۰۰۰۰۰ Rials. Conclusion: Considering the capabilities of this technology and its position among the people, it is necessary to put on the agenda ICT penetration expansion and planning to make maximum use of its capabilities in similar pandemics and crises.

Keywords:

Covid-۱۹ , Information and Communication Technology , Economic Valuation , Social health