Applying social influence insights to encourage climate resilient domestic water behaviour: Bridging the theory-practice gap

Water scarcity is one of the most pressing issues of our time and it is projected to increase as global demand surges and climate change limits fresh water availability. If we are to reduce water demand, it is essential that we draw on every tool in the box, including one that is underestimated and underutilised: social influence. Research from the psychological sciences demonstrates that behaviour is strongly influenced by the behaviour of others, and that social influence can be harnessed to develop cost-effective strategies to encourage climate resilient behaviour. Far less attention has been paid to investigating water-related interventions in comparison to interventions surrounding energy. In this paper we consider the application of three social influence strategies to encourage water conservation: social norms; social identity; and socially-comparative feedback. We not only review their empirical evidence base, but also offer an example of their application in the residential sector with the aim of highlighting how theoretical insights can be translated into practice. We argue that collaborations between researchers and industry are essential if we are to maximise the potential of behaviour change interventions to encourage climate resilient water behaviour

Explaining permanent and temporary water market trade patterns within local areas in the southern Murray–Darling Basin

The southern Murray–Darling Basin of Australia has the world’s largest and most sophisticated water markets. However, there has been little study on the drivers of permanent and temporary water market movements within local areas, or the substitution effects between groundwater and surface-water extraction over time. This topic is important as it is often claimed that water market trade patterns (especially selling large amounts of permanent water) are associated with rural decline. This study uses random-effects tobit panel models to investigate the association of regional and spatial socio-economic characteristics with temporary and permanent southern Murray–Darling Basin water market trade, using a broker panel database at postcode level from 2010/11 to 2013/14. Overall, results suggest there is no statistical significant evidence that more disadvantaged communities sold larger amounts of permanent water. Permanent water selling was statistically more likely to be associated with other spatial and land productivity characteristics, while temporary water market trade volumes were more related to water scarcity factors. In addition, there was evidence to suggest a substitution effect between rural areas selling higher volumes of permanent water and using higher volumes of groundwater.Juliane Haensch, Sarah Ann Wheeler, Alec Zu