Implicit and Explicit Biases for Recycled Water and Tap Water

Abstract

In 2019, the World Economic Forum (2019) listed water crises as the fourth greatest global risk. Securing useable water sources for humanity is a daunting challenge in both scope and scale. Solving these challenges will require comprehensive management of water resources and concerted effort to reduce consumption by agricultural producers, industries, and consumers. Advancements, like the use of recycled water, increase the scope of possible sources for useable water.Recycling converts millions of gallons of wastewater such as storm run-off and sewer effluent into water that meets standards for drinking and is as safe as other drinking water supplies (Asano & Levine, 2004). The water is comprehensively treated using both filters and disinfectants to remove impurities. Use of tap water instead of bottled water addresses issues of pollution by plastics that wind up in water bodies and negatively affect water quality.Use of recycled water addresses issues of supply, particularly for agricultural production which, in the United States, is responsible for 80% of all water consumption (U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service 2019). However, many consumers are averse to buying both fresh and processed foods that use recycled water (Li et al., 2018;Savchenko, Kecinski, et al., 2019). Numerous studies have shown that individuals develop cognitive biases toward certain foods , which can result in aversion to food technology (Lusk et al., 2015;McFadden & Smyth, 2019;Pakseresht et al., 2017). Though recycled water presents no known negative health risk, consumer bias has been exhibited by reductions in willingness-to-pay for agricultural products that use recycled irrigation water compared to identical products that used conventional is a term commonly used to refer to agricultural practices and commodities produced by processes used by the majority of farms (

Back to the Source: Consumers Response to Produce Irrigated With Different Sources of Recycled Water

“…Furthermore, Ellis, Savchenko, and Messer (2021) find consistent estimates from convenience and national samples from their study on mitigating stigma of recycled water. Other stated preference papers (Bass et al., 2022) also find that consumers have an implicit bias against recycled water which is similar to what we find in this revealed preference setting.…”

A PLS-SEM Analysis to Check Public Willingness to Use Water from Filtration Plants Installed by Public Own Organizations; a Study of Psychological Behavior Toward Sustainable Development

“… 10 In contrast, the majority of recent research on public perceptions of the safety and quality of drinking water has focused on studies of underground water, bottled water, and filtered water. 13 , 14 Some other studies discovered that improving public awareness about water quality and how it is used facilitated the efficient operation of concerned authorities. 15 , 16 The public’s willingness to use safe drinking water is vital information for researchers and policymakers, as well as for the preservation of the environment.…”