Conjoint Measurement of Base Station Siting Preferences

Mobile communication has become a ubiquitous part of today's life. The ongoing growth of this technology, however, involves the construction of new mobile phone base stations in order to assure network coverage. The selection of a new base station site often results in conflicts between providers and public authorities, on the one hand, and residents on the other. The aim of the present study was to examine public preferences regarding base station sites. A random sample of 503 persons from the German speaking part of Switzerland was interviewed face-to-face in their homes. Conjoint analysis was used to evaluate participants’ preferences for various attributes of base stations (appearance, location, building, decision process). The results show that location plays the most important role in participants’ acceptance of base stations. The findings also indicate that most people would prefer a covered or camouflaged base station to a freely visible one. By means of a cluster analysis, several segments were distinguished, showing that base station siting preferences were not homogeneous. Implications for risk communication are discussed.