| Desalinated versus recycled water: public perceptions and profiles of the accepters. | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 18433981 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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Many countries' water resources are limited in both quantity and quality. While engineering solutions can now safely produce recycled and desalinated water from non-potable sources at a relatively low cost, the general public is sceptical about adopting these alternative water sources. Social scientists, policy makers and technical experts need to better understand what is causing this lack of acceptance by the general population and how acceptance levels for recycled and desalinated water can be increased. This study is the first to conduct a comparative analysis of knowledge, perceptions, and acceptability, and determine segments of residents who are more open-minded than the general population toward the use of recycled and desalinated water. The Australian population once perceived desalinated water as environmentally unfriendly, and recycled water as a public health hazard. The general level of knowledge about these two concepts as potential water sources has historically been low. After nearly five years of serious drought, accompanied by severe water restrictions across most of the country, and subsequent media attention on solutions to water scarcity, Australians now show more acceptance of desalinated water for close-to-body uses, and less resistance to recycled water for garden watering and cleaning uses. The types of people likely to be strong accepters of the two alternative water sources are distinctly different groups, and can be reached through different media mixes. This finding has significant implications for policy makers and water practitioners. |
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Authors:
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Sara Dolnicar; Andrea I Schäfer |
Publication Detail:
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Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Date: 2008-04-22 |
Journal Detail:
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Title: Journal of environmental management Volume: 90 ISSN: 0301-4797 ISO Abbreviation: J. Environ. Manage. Publication Date: 2009 Feb |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 2008-11-25 Completed Date: 2009-02-19 Revised Date: - |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 0401664 Medline TA: J Environ Manage Country: England |
Other Details:
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Languages: eng Pagination: 888-900 Citation Subset: IM |
Affiliation:
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Institute for Infrastructure and Environment, School of Management and Marketing, University of Wollongong, NSW, Australia. sara_dolnicar@uow.edu.au |
Export Citation:
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APA/MLA Format Download EndNote Download BibTex |
| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
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Australia Conservation of Natural Resources* Humans Middle Aged Public Opinion* Sodium Chloride / isolation & purification* Water Supply* |
| Chemical | |
Reg. No./Substance:
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7647-14-5/Sodium Chloride |
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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