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Social and Behavioural Aspects of Water Use

 The increasing emphasis on demand management to ensure water requirements for communities are met in the face of fixed or declining water supply has emphasised the need for understanding the social and behavioural aspects of water use.

Demand management of water is usually directed to water conservation and the need to influence consumers to reduce water use. Public participation, community engagement and social equity are important elements in decision making processes regarding water policy.

Within the Institute for Sustainability and Innovation behavioural and social research related to water use is directed to social behaviour change in water usage and the use of recycled water.

Socio-economic influences on water use.

This research will enhance the water industry’s knowledge of behavioural influences on water consumption within the various socio economic segments within the community to develop and test behavioural change models that will sustain current and future water saving requirements.

The research focuses on residential socio economic segments within the Greater Melbourne region providing an assessment of the water related behaviours that exist in the respective segments, the key influences on those behaviours, and an assessment of the effectiveness of selected behavioural change models.

Public perceptions of indirect drinking water recycling

Prolonged drought and climate change have prompted increased use of alternative water sources including recycled water from sewerage effluent as a substitute for potable water for non-potable uses. Community acceptance of water recycling is critical to the implementation of water recycling schemes. There is relatively little research regarding the attitudes and likely behaviour of water consumers and the community regarding acceptance of water recycling in both urban and rural settings. This is particularly so for drinking water recycling usually expressed as indirect drinking water recycling (indirect potable reuse).

To increase consumer acceptance of recycled water there are at least three main areas of the public’s perception of reclaimed water use that need to be better understood:
· risk perception in relation to differing delivery systems of recycled water;
· trust in the authorities to ensure quality control; and
· the frequent emotional response of ‘disgust’ in regard to potable reuse.

With recycled water the nature of risk perception and the complex interplay between emotion and reason in risk perception and rational behaviour is the focus of a research program to overcome public resistance to potable use of recycled water. The project will focus on emotive risk assessment and emotive association related to potential recycling for potable use.

This project will provide tools needed for water utilities to better understand and address public perceptions and public concerns regarding indirect drinking water recycling and will develop best practices for communication strategies and community engagement.

For more information contact:
Professor John Cary
Ph: +61 3 9919 5481
Fax: +61 3 9919 5479
Email: john.cary@vu.edu.au

Last Updated: December 4, 2009