Understanding the determinants of public non-revenue water reduction intention in Selangor

Abstract

Malaysia's high level of non-revenue water (NRW) has reduced the ability of the water service providers to accommodate increasing water demands and caused immense financial stress for their water-related infrastructure investment as well as operating expenditures. The main purpose of this work was to examine consumer behaviour towards NRW reduction based on an extended model that integrated the constructs of the theory of planned behaviour, environmental knowledge, environmental concern and the mediator of service performance. The proposed model was examined using a self-structured questionnaire and face-to-face interviews with a targeted sample of 400 citizens currently living in the state of Selangor, Malaysia, with the method of quota sampling. The research findings identified that the factors of attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioural control and environmental knowledge had significant influences on NRW reduction intention. In addition, it was found that the construct of service performance had a partial mediation effect in the relationship between perceived behavioural control and behavioural intention towards NRW reduction. The findings of this study could assist water-related stakeholders to develop contemporary and effective NRW reduction strategies.