Audience Preferences for Water Resource Information from Extension and Other Sources

• Published in: Natural sciences education Vol. 42; no. 1; pp. 123 - 130
• Main Authors: Boellstorff, Diane E., Borisova, Tatiana, Smolen, Michael D., Evans, Jason M., Calabria, Jon, Adams, Damian C., Sochacka, Nicola W., McFarland, Mark L., Mahler, Robert L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Madison American Society of Agronomy 01.12.2013
• Subjects: Audiences; Community Characteristics; Community Relations; Demographics; Drinking water; Educational Opportunities; Extension Education; Feedback (Response); Grants; Hypotheses; Information Needs; Information sources; Logistics; Mass Media; Methods; Outreach Programs; Outreach services; Pesticides; Polls & surveys; Preferences; Public information; Questionnaires; Receiving waters; Regression (Statistics); State Surveys; Teaching Methods; Television; Test Results; Water pollution; Water quality; Water resources; Water rights; Water shortages; Water supply; Watershed management; Wildlife
• ISSN: 2168-8281; 2168-8273; 2168-8281
• DOI: 10.4195/nse.2012.0029

In response to state‐level needs assessments, extension services and land‐grant institutions (LGIs) have directed human and financial resources to meet identified public information needs regarding water resource status and management. This study evaluates the success of these efforts by examining the results of a nationwide survey of public attitudes and perceptions regarding water resources, and focusing on participants’ responses to questions related to preferred water information sources, learning opportunities, and topics. Fifteen percent of the adult population in the Southern, Mid‐Atlantic, and Northeast regions received water resource information from cooperative extension services, or in the 16 states sampled, extension reached about 15.3 million adults with water resource information. Older respondents and those living in smaller cities were more likely to indicate receiving water resource information from extension. Survey participants were asked to indicate water resource topics about which they would like to receive further information. Respondents were most interested in protecting public drinking water supplies, watershed management, nutrient and pesticide management, and fish and wildlife needs. Similarly, participants were asked to indicate their three (of possible 12) preferred modes for receiving water resource information. Overall, most respondents preferred receiving information by reading printed fact sheets, watching television coverage, reading newspaper articles, and visiting Internet websites. However, responses varied widely according to respondent's age and the size of the community, indicating that water resource education delivery methods should be selected based on specific target audiences.