Australians’ Water Conservation Behaviours and Attitudes

Abstract

The Australian water crisis can be addressed in many ways, ranging from increasing water conservation behaviours to minimise demand, through to producing water through large-scale water augmentation projects. Due to the extended drought experienced in many locations across Australia in recent years, there has been a recent focus on developing wastewater recycling and seawater desalination plants. While this is an important measure for emergency water supply, water conservation should still play a major role in reducing demand for water. The aim of this study is to provide much-needed empirical data about Australian attitudes towards water conservation and their water conservation behaviours. This market insight provides a knowledge basis for the development of public policy measures and social marketing campaigns aimed at increasing water conservation among Australian residents. Results from a survey study of 1495 people indicates that Australians generally have very positive attitudes towards water conservation and water saving appliances, however, these positive attitudes are not consistently translated into actual behaviour. The main barriers to adoption of water conservation behaviours identified in the study are the perception of inconvenience and impracticality, as well as costs associated with purchasing water saving appliances. These findings highlight the fact that there is still substantial potential to be harvested in Australia though water conservation measures. Opportunities for public policy makers to stimulate this process are identified.

Key Words:

• Water conservation
• Australia
• survey research
• attitudes
• behaviour

Additional information

Notes on contributors

S Dolnicar

Professor Sara Dolnicar is Director of the Institute for Innovation in Business and Social Research, at the University of Wollongong. Her research interests include market segmentation, (product) positioning, market research, quantitative methodology in marketing, questionnaire design, answer format effects and response styles, strategic marketing, and tourism marketing. Since 2008 Sara has worked on marketing research related to water, especially investigating public perceptions of different kinds of water, reasons for those perceptions and ways of increasing public knowledge about different sources of water, especially recycled water. Her work is funded by the Australian Research Council through the Discovery Grant Scheme.

A Hurlimann

Dr Anna Hurlimann is a Senior Lecturer in Urban Planning at the University of Melbourne. Her teaching and research activities focus on issues of environmentally sustainable cities. More specifically, she has a particular research interest in the sustainable management of water resources. Anna has published widely in the area and has been awarded a number of research grants from diverse organisations, including the Australian Research Council Discovery Grant Scheme, the Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment, the Cooperative Research Centre for Water Quality and Treatment, and from the University of Melbourne. Anna’s projects investigate a diverse range of issues, including community attitudes to alternative water sources, planning policy to promote effective catchment management, and an assessment of the social and equity aspects of adaptation to sea level rise in Gippsland, Victoria.