Drivers of Household Willingness-to-Pay for Alternative Cooking Technologies in Urban Malawi
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Household demand for clean cooking technologies remains a critical barrier to energy transitions in developing countries. This study examines the determinants of willingness-to-pay (WTP) for alternative and clean cooking technologies in urban Malawi using survey data from 1,613 households across the cities of Lilongwe, Blantyre, Mzuzu, and Zomba. Using a stated preference approach, the study employs a logistic regression model to estimate the influence of economic, behavioural, technological, market, and socio-demographic factors on household willingness to pay for improved cooking technologies. To improve interpretation of the practical influence of explanatory variables, the analysis reports odds ratios and marginal effects derived from the logit model. The results indicate that behavioural factors are the strongest predictors of willingness to pay. Awareness increases the probability of willingness to pay by 14.5 percentage points, exposure to clean cooking campaigns by 12.1 percentage points, and prior experience with improved stoves by 16.8 percentage points. Technological perceptions also significantly influence willingness to pay, with convenience increasing the probability by 13.9 percentage points, efficiency by 13.2 percentage points, and safety by 9.1 percentage points. Household income and accessibility increase the probability of willingness to pay by 8.2 and 7.8 percentage points, respectively, while larger household size reduces the probability by 2.4 percentage points. Despite 88.6% of households expressing willingness to pay for improved cooking technologies, charcoal remains the dominant cooking fuel (82.8%), supporting the energy stacking model rather than the linear energy ladder framework. The findings suggest that demand for clean cooking technologies is shaped by interconnected economic, behavioural, technological, and market-related factors. Policy interventions should therefore focus on expanding affordability through targeted financing mechanisms, strengthening supply chains and last-mile distribution systems, promoting experiential awareness campaigns, and supporting user-centered stove designs that prioritize efficiency, convenience, and safety. This study provides practical evidence to support clean cooking transitions in Malawi and across Sub-Saharan Africa, contributing to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 7
Source: Research Square
Language: English
Subfield: Pollution
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7213332001