Greening Household Behaviour and Water

Abstract

This report focuses on households’ behaviour in relation to water use. It presents the results of follow-up analysis of the 2011 OECD Survey on Environmental Policy and Individual Behaviour Change (EPIC) where econometric techniques are applied. This report complements the overview of the survey data provided in the publication OECD (2014). The analysis shows that households whose bill depends on actual water use are unambiguously more likely to exhibit pro-environmental behaviours in terms of water use, including undertaking water-saving behaviours, purchasing water-efficient devices, and taking water efficiency into account when purchasing such equipment. The results also confirm that the effect of social norms, attitudes, and opinions about the environment in general do matter in explaining households’ behaviour and investment decisions. The main policy recommendations that can be derived from this study are: to charge households for water based on their actual water use and to pursue individuals’ sensitisation to environmental issues by promoting water-conservation behaviours through campaigns and advertising, primarily targeting male and young adults.