“Choosing not to choose”: Preferences for various uses of recycled water

Abstract

In addition to promoting conservation, the use of recycled water offers numerous environmental benefits and can also provide a sustainable water supply for municipal, industrial, and agricultural sectors. However, there are members of the public who express their concerns over the adoption of recycled water. This research employs an in-person field study, which combines an incentive-compatible decision task and a detailed survey questionnaire, to analyze respondent's preferences for recycled versus conventional water across three different uses. Data was collected from 600 participants in three North American cities with varying local drought-conditions. We observe that water abundant regions are not less likely to express preference for recycled water. Results suggest that a slogan promoting water conservation can be effective in dissuading environmentally-poor preferences for closer-contact water uses. Additionally, our results suggest that many individuals, especially those with evidence of pro-environmental attitudes, are uncertain of their water type preference. Thus, water conservation initiatives need not consider only people who explicitly state a preference for recycled water as potential adopters but should also recognize these uncertain persons. Extending the de facto definition of “potential adopter” could have extensive benefits for the success of recycled water initiatives.