Behavioural attitudes towards water saving? Evidence from a study of environmental actions (original) (raw)
Related papers
Journal of Environmental Management, 2011
Within the research field of urban water demand management, understanding the link between environmental and water conservation attitudes and observed end use water consumption has been limited. Through a mixed method research design incorporating field-based smart metering technology and questionnaire surveys, this paper reveals the relationship between environmental and water conservation attitudes and a domestic water end use break down for 132 detached households located in the Gold Coast, Australia. Using confirmatory factor analysis, attitudinal factors were developed and refined; households were then categorised based on these factors through cluster analysis technique. Results indicated that residents with very positive environmental and water conservation attitudes consumed significantly less water in total and across the behaviourally influenced end uses of shower, clothes washer, irrigation and tap, than those with moderately positive attitudinal concern (n=78; 169.0L/p/d). The paper concluded with implications for urban water demand management planning, policy and practice.
It's what you do and where you do it: Perceived similarity in household water saving behaviours
Journal of Environmental Psychology, 2018
In the face of continued environmental degradation, policy makers need to accelerate public uptake of pro-environmental behaviours. Promoting behaviours which catalyse the adoption of other similar behaviours through the spillover effect has been proposed as a potential solution. This requires understanding which behaviours are seen as similar and what criteria are used to identify behavioural similarity. We used a sorting procedure with 32 householders in Melbourne, Australia, to investigate the perceived similarity of household water conservation behaviours and identify the underlying constructs used to distinguish between similar and dissimilar behaviours. Location was the primary attribute used to define behavioural similarity, specifically whether behaviours took place indoors or outdoors. Participants also distinguished between curtailment, efficiency and maintenance-type behaviours. Our findings provide empirical support for existing theoretical behaviour taxonomies. The results could inform design of future water-saving campaigns to promote catalytic behaviours, by leveraging off similar, existing behaviours for effective behaviour change results.
Catalysing water saving behaviours in Australian urban households
2019
The proliferation of applied behaviour change science over the past decade has provided new ways of thinking about policy making. Policy makers now have a range of frameworks and methods to assist in formulating change for social and environmental benefits. However, the development of strategies for the identification and prioritisation of target behaviours has been less forthcoming. This paper outlines a tool to assist in behaviour selection. Behaviours are assessed for their potential impact on addressing a specific issue, the likelihood of adoption by the target audience and existing participation levels within the target audience. Each of these characteristics is scored, allowing behaviours to be mapped onto a meaningful, visual, matrix for prioritisation. Additional data on behaviour type and the key perceived barriers to participation in each behaviour are layered onto the matrix to provide direction for intervention design. An application of the prioritisation matrix is prese...
Do Families Attitudes and Behaviors Support Sustainable Water Consumption
European Journal of Sustainable Development
For increasing the quality of life and sustainable improvement, the importance of reaching for drinkable, usable and clean water sources in the 21st century has increased and started to become a significant potential problem to be solved in the World. With today's busy lifestyles, people are often unaware of the amount of water they consume. With the acceleration of modern life, individuals often choose the solution that best suits their time and convenience, rather than optimizing for efficiency and environmental outcomes, since they do not find water-related activities important. Water, which is naturally regarded as an inexhaustible source, is gradually decreasing over time and disappearing day by day. Therefore this research has been planned to determine individuals' water consumption behavior at homes regarding the effective and efficient use of water sources. The sample comprised 654 individuals who resided in Safranbolu, Turkey. Data were collected through a demographic information form, Attitudes Toward Water Use (AtWC), Water Saving Behavior at the Home (WSBQ) and Sustainable Consumption Behavior Scale (SCBs). To determine the factors affecting water saving behavior at the home, correlation and hierarchical regression analyses were employed. Pearson correlation analyses revealed significant positive relationship between sustainable consumption behavior (SCBs) and saving behavior at the home (WSBQ) (r=.43; p<0.01), attitudes toward water use (AtWC) and saving behavior at the home (WSBQ) (r=.24; p<0.01). Hierarchical multiple regression analysis displayed that water saving behavior at home is influences by sustainable consumption behavior and attitudes toward water conservation. The theoretical implication of this study helps to understand the basic concepts of water saving behavior.
Investigating the Drivers of Pro-Environmental Behaviour: A Household Waste Minimisation Case
Issues in Social Science
Identifying and analysing the drivers of household pro-environmental behaviour (PEB) is a question of great interest. Providing an answer to this question investigating PEB has implications for planners and policymakers. The currents study attempts to identify and analyse the drivers that contribute to PEB significantly. To achieve this, an in-depth literature review and qualitative analysis were carried out. A questionnaire was developed to measure the PEB construct and its determinants. Next, the reliability of the questionnaire was assessed followed by Pearson’s correlational analysis. Results indicate that PEB comprises of nine dimensions viz., behavioural intention, attitude, personal moral norms, subjective norms, situational factors, perceived behavioural control, community concern, internal attribution and perceived consequences. The study results provide significant insights to help more people act in pro-environmental ways. From the theoretical perspective, the study resul...
Household behaviour and sustainability: from inactive to involved, and what lies in-between
2015
In this working paper we present the initial findings from a 2013 postal survey into green and ethical household behaviour. 457 usable questionnaires were returned from 3000 householders in a large northern city in the UK, giving a response rate of 15%. Respondents provided details about their levels of participation in green and ethical activities, their attitudes towards such behaviour, recent purchase decisions in different product categories, and information use and dissemination. Questions were derived from an earlier piece of qualitative research in which we carried out in-depth interviews with self-identified green consumers and a previous quantitative questionnaire. Our latest findings provide evidence to support varying levels of involvement in green and ethical activities, with differences in participation, attitudes, and information seeking. These differences are discussed and marketing implications identified.
Household water efficiency strategies in Cornwall, SW of England
Water and Environment Journal, 2015
Demand-side measures are thought to be a sustainable approach to meeting the future supply-demand balance. We assess the uptake of domestic demand-side measures and assess potential factors that may promote the uptake of water efficiency devices. Fifty one face-to-face questionnaires were carried out to collect demographic, water use, current water efficiency measures in place and housing characteristics data. We use descriptive statistics and univariate models using Pearson's chi-squared tests and logistic regression models to assess factors promoting water efficiency. Fifty one adult participants aged between 30-64 years provided data on water consumption and efficiency. Investigating water saving solutions and home owners were more likely to utilise water efficiency devices (OR 9.75; 95% CI 1.64-51.29 and OR 7.18; 95% CI 1.38-37.31, respectively). Targeting factors shown to promote consumer uptake of water efficiency measures and the use of combined strategies utilising low-cost efficiency devices provide a cost-effective means to reduce water consumption.
Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 2005
This paper examines the structure of waste reduction, reuse and recycling behavior within the context of wider research on environmental action in and around the home. Using a sample of 1265 households from Devon, England, the research examined a range of environmental behaviors, focusing on energy saving, water conservation, green consumerism and waste management. Using factor analysis, the data were analysed to examine how the different behavioral variables related to each other. The research found that waste management behaviors were evident in two of the three factors identified. These related not only to recycling or reuse behaviors but also to consumption practices, such as purchasing recycled products. However, an analysis of the frequency of each of these factorially-defined behaviors revealed that recycling was still the activity most practised by individuals, with reduction behaviors least popular. This was explored further by the use of cluster analysis, which defined four distinctive behavioral types with different demographic characteristics. Accordingly, the research demonstrates that examining waste management behaviors within the context of wider environmental actions can be of use.
Urban Water Journal, 2020
Applying behavioural science to complex issues, like water demand management, requires behaviour prioritisation for focused program design. This requires tools and data to support decision-making. Some sectors obtain expert-derived data to fill gaps for statistical modelling. However, there is an ongoing debate over use of expert, versus lay, stakeholder perspectives. We extend previous research by examining perceptions held by expert water professionals (n = 44), and lay householder (n = 151) stakeholders, regarding household water-saving behaviours and barriers to participation. We find consistency between expert and lay perceptions on behavioural participation rates and impact on water saving, but less agreement on the effort required for behaviour adoption. Such inconsistency on perceptions of effort could have implications for behaviour selection and intervention design. Our findings suggest that expert-derived data could be used for behaviour prioritisation, but lay input is v...