OBJECTIVES: Despite the expected health benefits of colorectal cancer screening programs, participation rates remain low in countries that have implemented such a screening program. Besides the diagnostic accuracy and the risks of the screening technique that affect the health of the participants, additional factors, such as the burden of the test, may impact the individuals’ decisions to participate. The aim of this study it to explore the impact of preferences for the attributes of screening tests on intention to attend a colorectal cancer screening program. METHODS: We used a web-based questionnaire to elicit the preferences of Dutch men and woman aged 55 to 75 years for alternative colon screening techniques, and to measure their intention to attend the screening. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), a technique for multi-criteria analysis, was used to estimate the colorectal cancer screening preferences for iFOBT, Colonoscopy, Sigmoidoscopy and Virtual Colonoscopy. RESULTS: We included 167 respondents that were consistent in their judgments on the relevance of the criteria and the preferences for the screening techniques. The results indicate that the most preferred screening methods with the highest intention to attend were Virtual Colonoscopy and iFOBT. Sensitivity and safety of the screening methods were the strongest determinants of the overall preference for the screening techniques. However, safety and inconvenience were most strongly related to intention to attend. CONCLUSIONS: Even though for the long term the respondents may recognize the high importance of diagnostic effectiveness, their short term decision to attend the screening tests appears to be less driven by this consideration. Our analysis suggests that inconvenience and safety will be the strongest technique-related determinants of the respondents’ decision to participate in the new screening program in the Netherlands.