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Title
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Public attitudes towards digital water meters for households
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Author
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Abstract
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| In response to droughts, various media campaigns and water-saving instructions are released. However, these often only have temporary water conservation effects. A promising development in this regard is Digital Water Meters (DWM), which can provide near real-time water-use feedback. Despite extensive DWM experience in some water-stressed regions, a profound understanding of the initial attitude towards DWM and message-tailoring opportunities are rarely empirically explored. This study aims to obtain insights into the attitude towards the introduction of DWM and explore opportunities for message tailoring, a topic of extra relevance as we may be on the threshold of a large-scale DWM implementation in many world regions. Messages tailored to (i) normative beliefs and attitudes on drinking water, (ii) water-use activity and (iii) phase of decision-making, seem particularly compatible with DWM. Through a survey (n = 1037) in the Netherlands, we observe that 93% of respondents have no objections if their utility invests in DWM and that 78% would accept a (free) DWM because of improved leakage detection, lower costs and environmental considerations. Finally, instead of sociodemographic factors, we observe that an attitude-based customer segmentation approach is an especially useful predictor of respondent's motivation to endorse DWM and forms a promising basis for water conservation message-tailoring strategies. |
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Language
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English
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Source (journal)
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Sustainability
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Publication
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2021
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ISSN
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2071-1050
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DOI
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10.3390/SU13116440
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Volume/pages
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13
:11
(2021)
, p. 1-19
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Article Reference
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6440
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ISI
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000660706200001
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Medium
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E-only publicatie
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Full text (Publisher's DOI)
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Full text (open access)
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