Our latest HERU Blog post looks at the valuation of community preferences. In the post Dr Ruben Sakowsky, who has recently completed a PhD in HERU, argues that health economics methods need to take greater account of community preferences. The example of the COVID-19 pandemic is used to discuss the need to include a community response in evaluation research. The value of deliberative approaches and collective decision making is also considered. This is seen as particularly relevant when looking at issues, such the COVID-19 pandemic, that affect the whole community.