Public tap water perceptions and potable reuse acceptance: A cognitive dissonance theoretical understanding

Abstract

Water scarcity is a pressing issue caused by many factors, including urban water demand, poor wastewater management, and climate change. To address this growing issue, wastewater recycling for potable use is encouraged worldwide. Planned potable reuse (PPR) involves reusing treated wastewater intentionally as a drinking water source. PPR promotes a circular water economy and reduces local water shortages. However, public acceptance of PPR remains low due to the psychological disgust associated with consuming treated wastewater, known as the yuck factor. Traditional educational marketing campaigns have been ineffective in increasing PPR acceptance, necessitating further investigation into other approaches to do so. This study analyzes whether consumers’ perceptions about their current tap water significantly links to their attitudes toward PPR. Guided by the cognitive dissonance theoretical framework, our study examines if public tap water customers who (1) already believe their drinking water contains treated wastewater (de facto reuse) and (2) trust their public water suppliers (PWS) are more likely to accept PPR. Two separate survey-based studies were conducted in 2019 and 2020 on adult public water consumers in the US. Statistical analyses reveal that those participants who believe their tap water contains de facto reuse water, have high trust in their PWS, or primarily consume tap water (behavioral trust) demonstrate greater acceptance of PPR. Additionally, our results suggest that acceptance toward PPR increased after the COVID pandemic, but this effect is moderated by gender. Overall, our study results indicate that addressing cognitive dissonance in consumer attitudes toward PPR may lead to more sustainable solutions for water management in the US. Further research should explore the interplay between de facto reuse beliefs, trust, and PPR acceptance, to enable the development of effective prosocial marketing strategies that can overcome the yuck factor and ultimately promote wider consumer acceptance of PPR.