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Comparing Public Perceptions of Alternative Water Sources for Potable Use: The Case of Rainwater, Stormwater, Desalinated Water, and Recycled Water

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Abstract

This research investigated how people’s perceptions of alternative water sources compare with their perceptions of other technologies, and identified significant predictors of comfort with different alternative water sources. We drew on data from four questionnaire survey studies with a total sample of more than 1200 Australian participants. Relative levels of comfort with the alternative water sources was consistent across the four studies: comfort was always highest for drinking rainwater and lowest for drinking recycled water, with comfort with drinking treated stormwater and desalinated water sitting between these two. Although comfort with drinking recycled water was always lowest of the four alternative water sources, participants were significantly more comfortable with drinking recycled water than they were with nuclear energy, or with using genetically modified plants and animals for food. In general, demographic variables were less important predictors of comfort with alternative water sources than were psychological variables; only age and gender emerged as relatively consistent predictors for recycled water, stormwater, and desalinated water, with older participants and males more comfortable with drinking these water sources. Of the psychological variables, participants’ comfort with technology in general, trust in science and trust in government emerged consistently as significant positive predictors of comfort with drinking recycled water, stormwater, and desalinated water.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the Urban Water Security Research Alliance and through funding from the Australian Research Council grant FT100100704.

Conflict of Interest

No conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Social Science Research, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, 4072, Australia

    Kelly S. Fielding

  2. CSIRO Land and Water, Ecosciences Precinct, Dutton Park, Queensland, Australia

    John Gardner

  3. CSIRO Land and Water, Wembley, Western Australia, Australia

    Zoe Leviston & Jennifer Price

Authors
  1. Kelly S. Fielding
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  2. John Gardner
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  3. Zoe Leviston
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  4. Jennifer Price
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Correspondence to Kelly S. Fielding.

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Fielding, K.S., Gardner, J., Leviston, Z. et al. Comparing Public Perceptions of Alternative Water Sources for Potable Use: The Case of Rainwater, Stormwater, Desalinated Water, and Recycled Water. Water Resour Manage 29, 4501–4518 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-015-1072-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-015-1072-1

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