Eliminating ‘Yuck’: A Simple Exposition of Media and Social Change in Water Reuse Policies

Abstract

Water reuse is an efficient way of managing water resources in cities, but reuse policies have often been derailed by the ‘yuck’ factor. While yuck has often been thought of as a problem of public acceptance, this paper argues that there is a more profitable way to frame the issue—as a form of social construct by the media, forming the basis of new learning by the public. This is then illustrated by way of an analysis of newspaper articles in Australia and Singapore. Some preliminary implications for norm formation and possibilities for theory-building are discussed.