On the Value of Privacy from Telemarketing: Evidence from the 'Do Not Call' Registry

Abstract

Despite tremendous debate and policy interest, there has been relatively little research into the issue of how much individuals value their privacy. In this paper, I estimate the demand for the value of privacy from telemarketing as provided by the federal "do not call" registry. From the demand curve, I compute two estimates of the household value of privacy: a lower bound of $3.22 per year, and a best estimate of $8.25 per year. The telemarketing industry must provide consumers with at least this much expected consumer surplus to persuade them not to conceal themselves through the "do not call" registry.

Keywords: privacy, telemarketing, do not call

JEL Classification: D18, L81, M31