Public knowledge, contaminant concerns, and support for recycled Water in the United States

• Published in: Resources, conservation and recycling Vol. 150; p. 104419
• Main Authors: Glick, David M., Goldfarb, Jillian L., Heiger-Bernays, Wendy, Kriner, Douglas L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.11.2019
• Subjects: Contaminant concern; Knowledge gap; Public opinion; Recycled water; Water insecurity; Recycled water; Knowledge gap; Public opinion; Water insecurity; Contaminant concern
• ISSN: 0921-3449; 1879-0658
• DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2019.104419

•Nationally representative survey of American attitudes toward recycled water.•Americans have steep deficit knowledge concerning water recycling technologies.•Relevant knowledge strongest predictor for support of drinking recycled water.•Americans most concerned over sewage are least likely to support recycled water.•Public campaigns should decouple recycled water and climate change to boost support. Water recycling is one potential solution to meeting the growing global demand for water in an age of dwindling freshwater supplies. However, public opposition has played a key role historically in blunting the broad implementation of water recycling technologies across the United States. Addressing public concerns and overcoming this opposition is critical to the political viability of water recycling programs as a response to growing water insecurity. This analysis builds on existing research on Americans’ attitudes toward water recycling in three ways. First, it explores public understanding of basic elements of water recycling and identifies important gaps in public knowledge. Second, it examines the factors that most concern Americans about water recycling. Finally, it investigates how knowledge, specific concerns, and a range of other factors, including Americans’ environmental priorities, local context, partisan leanings, and demographic characteristics, combine to influence attitudes toward recycled water. The results identify several promising targets for future educational outreach efforts to build public support for water recycling projects. Policy-relevant knowledge is the single most important predictor of support for water recycling. Yet, there is a stark knowledge gap between a highly informed few and an unaware majority. Bridging this gap could greatly increase support for water recycling. Concerns about sewage contamination were most corrosive to support for water recycling, making them a prime target for further outreach. Finally, our results suggest that future educational campaigns may seek to decouple water scarcity and climate change in the public mind to avoid exacerbating existing cleavages.