Preferences and attitudes towards German cockroach (Dictyoptera: Blattellidae) management: A nationwide survey of tenants in multi-family housing

German cockroaches (Blattella germanica) are a persistent pest in many multi-family housing units in the United States and globally. Previous studies have largely examined tenant perceptions towards these pests, from a narrow geographic region or population. We conduct a survey of roughly 1000 renters in multi-family housing from around the US collected in Summer 2024. The survey examines several aspects of the incidence and control of German cockroaches. This includes level of support for complex-wide professional pest control (measured as an economic value known as Willingness to Pay), current and past incidence, use and perceived efficacy of pest control products, perception of professional pest control providers. Beyond descriptive statistics, we also conduct multivariate analyses to understand associations across variables. These results can uncover dimensions of human behavior and preferences that can be critical to successful pest control.