<p> </p>
Nonpoint source (NPS) pollution refers to pollution entering receiving
waterbodies from diffuse sources, and is one of the main causes of water
pollution in the United States. Best management practices (BMPs) and low impact
development (LID) strategies are water and land management practices geared at
reducing the effect of NPS pollution. This research focused on residents in
northwestern Indiana and assessed their interest in adopting BMPs and LID
strategies across the urban-to-rural gradient. Resident groups of interest
include medium/large-scale farmers, small-scale farmers, rural non-farming
residents, suburban residents, and urban residents. Specifically, this research
explored residents’ awareness of and attitudes towards water quality
improvement practices, their likelihood of adopting these practices, and
factors that influence their likelihood of adoption. Data was collected through
a household survey that was mailed to residents of Porter and LaPorte counties.
In addition to survey questions measuring respondents’ awareness, attitudes,
perceptions, likelihood of adoption, and demographics, the survey also
contained an experimental component in the form of an information page. By
using descriptive, bivariate and multivariate statistical procedures to analyze
survey data, this research found that respondents generally reported high
levels of awareness of and positive attitudes towards BMPs and LID strategies.
Despite this, 41% of respondents reported a likelihood of adopting any water
quality improvement practices. This research found that resident groups
differed in their awareness of water quality improvement practices, as well as
their descriptive and subjective norms associated with adopting these
practices. Respondents valued improved environmental quality and reduced flash
flood risk as benefits of adopting water quality improvement practices, and
identified not knowing enough about specific conservation practices and
concerns about how to install and maintain the practices as main barriers to
adoption. Generally, respondents who were younger, perceived more problems with
various potential water pollution sources, were more aware of water quality
improvement practices, had more positive attitudes, had a stronger sense of
personal responsibility, sought information in the past about water quality
problems, or perceived stronger social expectations from peers (i.e.,
subjective norms) were more likely to be interested in adopting water quality
improvement practices in the next year. The role of information was more
ambiguous. While information about how to choose, install and maintain specific
water quality improvement practices may be useful for residents, the
information treatment about the responsibility of each resident group for NPS
pollution did not seem to affect respondents’ likelihood of adoption. However,
this research did find that respondents reacted differently to the information
provided based on their initial self-reported likelihood of adoption prior to
receiving any information. Based on these results, this research suggests
strategies that may be used by public and private entities to motivate
residents’ adoption of water quality improvement practices, including but not
limited to: (1) developing education programs that highlight both the broader
environmental quality benefits and geography-specific practical benefits of
water quality improvement; (2) developing technical assistance programs that
help residents identify appropriate conservation practices for their homes and
properties and that facilitate installation and maintenance of such practices;
(3) developing communication strategies to help residents establish a sense of
self-responsibility and align their perceived water quality problems with their
own actions; and, (4) developing outreach programs to help establish and
facilitate descriptive and subjective norms in favor of adopting water quality
improvement practices at the watershed scale. <br>
Nonpoint source (NPS) pollution refers to pollution entering receiving
waterbodies from diffuse sources, and is one of the main causes of water
pollution in the United States. Best management practices (BMPs) and low impact
development (LID) strategies are water and land management practices geared at
reducing the effect of NPS pollution. This research focused on residents in
northwestern Indiana and assessed their interest in adopting BMPs and LID
strategies across the urban-to-rural gradient. Resident groups of interest
include medium/large-scale farmers, small-scale farmers, rural non-farming
residents, suburban residents, and urban residents. Specifically, this research
explored residents’ awareness of and attitudes towards water quality
improvement practices, their likelihood of adopting these practices, and
factors that influence their likelihood of adoption. Data was collected through
a household survey that was mailed to residents of Porter and LaPorte counties.
In addition to survey questions measuring respondents’ awareness, attitudes,
perceptions, likelihood of adoption, and demographics, the survey also
contained an experimental component in the form of an information page. By
using descriptive, bivariate and multivariate statistical procedures to analyze
survey data, this research found that respondents generally reported high
levels of awareness of and positive attitudes towards BMPs and LID strategies.
Despite this, 41% of respondents reported a likelihood of adopting any water
quality improvement practices. This research found that resident groups
differed in their awareness of water quality improvement practices, as well as
their descriptive and subjective norms associated with adopting these
practices. Respondents valued improved environmental quality and reduced flash
flood risk as benefits of adopting water quality improvement practices, and
identified not knowing enough about specific conservation practices and
concerns about how to install and maintain the practices as main barriers to
adoption. Generally, respondents who were younger, perceived more problems with
various potential water pollution sources, were more aware of water quality
improvement practices, had more positive attitudes, had a stronger sense of
personal responsibility, sought information in the past about water quality
problems, or perceived stronger social expectations from peers (i.e.,
subjective norms) were more likely to be interested in adopting water quality
improvement practices in the next year. The role of information was more
ambiguous. While information about how to choose, install and maintain specific
water quality improvement practices may be useful for residents, the
information treatment about the responsibility of each resident group for NPS
pollution did not seem to affect respondents’ likelihood of adoption. However,
this research did find that respondents reacted differently to the information
provided based on their initial self-reported likelihood of adoption prior to
receiving any information. Based on these results, this research suggests
strategies that may be used by public and private entities to motivate
residents’ adoption of water quality improvement practices, including but not
limited to: (1) developing education programs that highlight both the broader
environmental quality benefits and geography-specific practical benefits of
water quality improvement; (2) developing technical assistance programs that
help residents identify appropriate conservation practices for their homes and
properties and that facilitate installation and maintenance of such practices;
(3) developing communication strategies to help residents establish a sense of
self-responsibility and align their perceived water quality problems with their
own actions; and, (4) developing outreach programs to help establish and
facilitate descriptive and subjective norms in favor of adopting water quality
improvement practices at the watershed scale.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:purdue.edu/oai:figshare.com:article/7409324 |
| Date | 17 January 2019 |
| Creators | Jennifer A. Domenech (5930615) |
| Source Sets | Purdue University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, Thesis |
| Rights | CC BY 4.0 |
| Relation | https://figshare.com/articles/ASSESSING_THE_ROLE_OF_NORMS_AND_INFORMATION_IN_SHAPING_RESIDENTS_INTENTIONS_TO_ADOPT_WATER_QUALITY_IMPROVEMENT_PRACTICES_ACROSS_URBAN-TO-RURAL_LANDSCAPES/7409324 |
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