About

Bachir Kassas is an Associate Professor in the Food and Resource Economics Department at the University of Florida. His research is focused on applying experimental methods to study individual and consumer behavior, with main areas of interest including health-related behavior, consumer preferences and willingness-to-pay for novel product attributes, preference elicitation mechanisms, and prosocial behavior. He works on incorporating biometric data such as eye-tracking, facial expression analysis, and brain activity to develop behavioral models that enhance understanding of individual decision-making processes. Dr. Kassas earned an M.S. in Economics and a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from Texas A&M University, where he was involved in establishing and managing the Human Behavior Laboratory. He is currently the co-director of the Economic Experiment Laboratory at the University of Florida, which he established as a mobile experimental lab with fully equipped stations for conducting survey and experimental research in both lab and field settings. His recent work has contributed to improving the understanding of individual behavior and choice, including investigating methods to enhance the accuracy of stated preference estimates, proposing a unified model of self-control addressing longstanding controversies, and analyzing the role of social norms and income heterogeneities in social and voluntary contribution behaviors. His research has been published in reputable journals such as the Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, Applied Economics, the Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics, the Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, and the Journal of Choice Modeling.

Research topics

• Psychology
• Business
• Medicine
• Economics
• Marketing
• Environmental health
• Nursing
• Biology
• Social psychology
• Biotechnology
• Veterinary medicine
• Agricultural science
• Cognitive psychology
• Advertising
• Geography
• Public economics
• Finance
• Agricultural economics
• Demographic economics
• Ecology
• Communication

Selected publications

• Nudging with Attribution Bias: Promoting Healthy Over Unhealthy Food Preferences

  AEA Randomized Controlled Trials · 2026-02-11

  dataset
  PublisherDOI

• Can Attribution Bias Improve Preferences for Healthy Snacks? Evidence from a Neuroeconomic Study

  AEA Randomized Controlled Trials · 2026-02-11

  dataset
  PublisherDOI

• Nudging with Attribution Bias: Promoting Healthy Over Unhealthy Food Preferences

  AEA Randomized Controlled Trials · 2026-02-11

  dataset
  PublisherDOI

• Can Attribution Bias Improve Preferences for Healthy Snacks? Evidence from a Neuroeconomic Study

  AEA Randomized Controlled Trials · 2026-02-11

  dataset
  PublisherDOI

• Tapping into Florida's Craft Beer Market, Part 2: Preferences for Local Ingredients and Sustainability Labels

  EDIS · 2025-09-26

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Rising consumer interest in locally sourced, sustainably produced products presents an opportunity for breweries to stand out in an increasingly competitive market, as well as for local growers to supply the ingredients for which consumers are willing to pay extra. This publication, the second in a series that seeks to provide Florida breweries with state-specific, data-driven marketing information to help grow their consumer base, explores Florida consumers’ preferences and the premiums that Florida consumers are willing to pay for beer made with local ingredients and sustainability certification. Authors examine how premiums vary across Florida’s largest metro areas: Miami, Tampa, Orlando, and Jacksonville. This information can inform growers of potential market opportunities and brewers of product differentiation strategies. Includes a list of key insights for breweries, growers, and Extension agents.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Shaping Consumer Perceptions of Sustainable Practices in Livestock Production Through Effective Communication Design

  Agribusiness · 2025-07-10 · 2 citations

  article

  ABSTRACT Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from livestock production are a major contributor to climate change, highlighting the urgent need for sustainable agricultural practices. Although consumer awareness is increasing, the impact of various communication strategies on preferences for environmental practices remains largely unexplored. This study examines consumer preferences for seven key environmental practices, using a Best‐Worst Scaling (BWS) experiment with 1264 US consumers. Three information treatments—Complex Scientific Language (CSL), Generic Terminology Language (GTL), and Comparative Analogy Language (CAL)—were designed to test how information framing affects consumer perceptions. Results show that all treatments increased the perceived importance of GHG emissions compared to a control group, with CAL being the most effective due to its use of relatable analogies. This study makes three contributions: (1) it evaluates the relative importance consumers place on environmental practices in meat production, (2) it demonstrates the impact of information framing on consumer perceptions, and (3) it provides actionable insights for designing effective communication strategies and environmental labels. By identifying effective ways to present environmental information, this study offers practical guidance for policymakers and agribusiness stakeholders to promote sustainable consumer choices and advance environmentally conscious practices in meat production.

  PublisherDOI

• Beyond Borders: An Empirical Analysis of the “Fresh From Florida” State Marketing Program

  Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics · 2025-01-30

  articleOpen access

  Abstract In this paper, we examine the effect of the “Fresh From Florida” marketing program on the preferences of consumers located in geographically distant regions. We administered a choice experiment to consumers from the Northeastern region of the US, the Eastern region of Canada, and from Florida. Our findings show that the logo recall rate is significant for out-of-state consumers. While the WTP for the “Fresh from Florida” attribute is not statistically significant for Northeastern US respondents, logo recall positively influences the WTP. Logo recall positively affects WTP in Canada, but only for respondents with positive or neutral opinions of Florida.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• The organic health halo: Influence of mood, restrained eating and healthiness perceptions

  European Review of Agricultural Economics · 2025-11-18

  article

  Abstract Although organic labels inform consumers about food production, many incorrectly infer that organic foods contain fewer calories than regular foods, a phenomenon known as the organic health halo effect. This study examines the influence of mood, restrained eating, and food healthiness perceptions on the prevalence of the organic health halo effect. Results revealed that both restrained and unrestrained eaters perceive organic foods as healthier and less caloric. Although organic and regular foods were identical in calories, calorie misperception persisted across mood conditions and restrained eating status. However, positive and negative moods decreased the organic health halo effect among unrestrained eaters.

  PublisherDOI

• Nudging local: Do information treatments work?

  Journal of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association · 2025-07-17

  articleOpen access

  Abstract This study examines how information nudges shape consumer preferences for locally grown foods. Using an online discrete choice experiment with blueberries, we assess the effectiveness of tailored information emphasizing local economy support, quality, and environmental benefits in increasing consumer valuation of state‐branded products. Results indicate that consumers respond positively to all information treatments, with quality—particularly freshness—having the strongest effect. State ethnocentrism plays a key role, as consumers with higher state ethnocentrism exhibit greater willingness to pay for the state‐branded logo across all treatments. These findings provide insights for improving local food marketing strategies and strengthening state‐level marketing programs.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Tapping into Florida's Craft Beer Market: A Brewer's Guide to Consumer Purchasing and Consumption Habits in the Sunshine State

  EDIS · 2025-01-10

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Florida’s craft beer industry has undergone explosive growth in the past decade, expanding sixfold from just 66 to 396 breweries, with an estimated economic impact of over $4 billion dollars in 2022. The craft beer sector is primarily small businesses that may lack large domestic breweries' resources and expertise to conduct in-house market research. Trade groups for craft breweries publish market research at the national level but do not often delve into state-specific nuances. This publication provides Florida breweries with data-driven marketing information on Florida beer consumers' purchase frequency, monthly beer expenditure, and preferred places to buy and drink beer. It includes a bulleted list of key consumer insights for craft breweries.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Marco A. Palma

  Texas A&M University

  19 shared

• John Lai

  13 shared

• Rodolfo M. Nayga

  Agricultural & Applied Economics Association

  9 shared

• Zhifeng Gao

  8 shared

• Michelle Segovia

  University of Delaware

  7 shared

• Luis A. Ribera

  Texas College

  6 shared

• Charles R. Hall

  Texas A&M University

  6 shared

• David P. Anderson

  4 shared