While most Floridians will skip running their sprinklers in the rain, few are willing to conserve water by taking shorter showers, according to new PIE Center research.
PIE Center researchers Alexa Lamm and Tracy Irani developed a public opinion survey that looked into the water quality and quantity issues facing Florida. Lamm and Irani are faculty members in the UF/IFAS Department of Agricultural Education and Communication.
Participants were asked to rate their engagement in water conservation and protection efforts. Results showed that 65.5 percent of participants turned the faucet off while brushing their teeth, but they were reluctant to limit shower times or reduce the amount of bottled water they use.
“From a social sciences standpoint of addressing issues with information and education, the focus with a public opinion survey like this one is on trying to figure out how to motivate people, get people to take action,” Irani said. “Once those priorities are identified, then you can use the results of the survey to determine how best to use the tools that we have in IFAS and in agricultural education and communication. You use the results to try to figure out how to best educate people.”
Education might help researchers address perceived barriers to water conservation, Irani continued. By identifying the gaps or inconsistencies in Floridians’ behaviors, leaders and decision-makers can create programs to inspire change.
“If we know what those barriers are, we can decide which ones we might be able to overcome or identify which ones we might get people to think about conservation programs a little differently through educational programs or research,” Irani said.
Researchers found that 23.5 percent of people reported leaving the water running while washing or rinsing dishes every time or almost every time. However, 40.5 percent of participants never or almost never leave the water running.
Further, 9.1 percent of Floridians let their sprinklers run when rain is in the forecast, but 6.6 percent said they kept watering their lawn when it was actively raining.
“There is the convenience factor, and that’s always difficult with respect to behavior change,” Irani said. “The more convenient something is, the more you’re prone to want to continue to engage in that behavior.”
Overall, however, members of the general public indicated they are willing to participate in conservation actions, perhaps more than the researchers anticipated, Irani said.
“Members of the general public are more knowledgeable and might be engaged in more conservation practices than we might have anticipated, which is ultimately a good thing,” she said.
