Abstract
This study examined the ability of four 30-min television (TV) episodes to affect viewers’ understanding of, and engagement in, fresh water recharge, conservation, and reuse. We used questionnaires to examine changes in viewers’ perceived understanding, interest, and motivation after watching episodes at in-person screenings during September 2019 (average 27.5 attendees and 19.5 respondents per episode screening). In general, perception of skills and engagement increased after viewing the episode, and viewers reported a willingness to take action themselves as well as to pledge support for the use of public funds in water-related actions. However, viewers were less swayed on topics such as the “ickiness” of recycled water and on policies that allow black water recycling. At the final screening of the series, we also investigated preference for in-depth content versus a synoptic episode via structured focus groups. With a high degree of consensus, focus group participants felt that topics were better presented in episodes with more in-depth content. These results support the use of long-form, content-rich educational videos to teach water science and increase motivation. In combination with TV viewing metrics, our study thus supports the use of TV as an effective medium for reaching a broad demographic. However, our findings also imply that changing viewers’ perceptions on controversial water-use topics requires additional consideration to support the construction of new beliefs, water literacy, and citizen engagement.
Highlights
Water-related problems, like drought, flooding, water main breaks, and poor water quality, can dramatically impact people’s lives
We investigated the use of regional television (TV) to share stories about fresh water conservation, recharge, and reuse concepts with the local community—highlighting regional resources and solutions
Sea are accessible to 90% of the 1.8 million regional population, and station surveys indicate that an average of 24,000 (±2900 viewers) tune in weekly in Hawai’i to watch Voice of the Sea on TV [25,26], with a largely female (75%) audience that skews toward older, local viewers, with 57% over 50 years of age, 55% home-owners, 75% non-college educated, and 95% having lived in Hawai’i for more than 16 years [25,26]
Summary
Water-related problems, like drought, flooding, water main breaks, and poor water quality, can dramatically impact people’s lives. Educators often focus on formal education, where classrooms provide opportunities for reaching school-age students, or on structured informal education experiences, such as special events, science centers, or aquariums, where large numbers of people can be reached in organized ways. These educational settings are invaluable, they do tend to bypass significant components of the population—namely those who are not in the formal education system. We investigated the use of regional television (TV) to share stories about fresh water conservation, recharge, and reuse concepts with the local community—highlighting regional resources and solutions
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