Water Use Behavior in a Multicultural Urban Area in Sweden

Abstract

The increasing world population and climate change are major concerns for the supply of water needs. Understanding user behavior facilitates the development of effective strategies of domestic water management. This research applied a questionnaire survey and data analysis methods to analyze the water consumption behavior of tenants in a multicultural urban area, dominated by immigrants of different ethnic origins, in the city of Växjö in Sweden. Results showed that the majority of the studied participants perceived themselves to be environmentally friendly. They reported to be engaged in water conservation activities quite often, but analysis showed that they did not have accurate perceptions of their water consumption. Positive attitudes towards water conservation and self-reported water conservation activities significantly but negatively influenced respondents’ actual water consumption, i.e., water consumption was higher. Subjective norms did not have a significant influence. The results also revealed that individual measurement and debit positively influenced, i.e., reduced, actual water consumption. Therefore, water management systems should include an individual measurement and debit system combined with a visualization system to enable tenants to monitor the quantity and cost of their water consumption.

Domestic Water Conservation in the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria: Perceptions and Practices

“…The enquiries during the qualitative data gathering show that the interviewees who use less water do so primarily because of economic reasons, to save cost, especially in the less affluent areas of the FCT. This outcome is similar to the findings made by Dadvar, Mahapatra and Forss (2021) and Shia et al (2022). In Shia et al's (2022) study of Jiaozuo City, about 43% of the residents were motivated to conserve water because of economic reasons.…”

Análisis de COVID-19 y ahorro de agua potable: una perspectiva multifactorial

“…De esta manera, los autores demuestran la importancia de incluir variables psicológicas para explicar este comportamiento. Contrariamente, Dadvar et al (2021) evidenciaron que las normas sociales, medidas a través de la importancia que tiene para los hogares el reducir su consumo de agua por las recomendaciones de familiares y amigos y la percepción de que todos los demás lo están realizando, no tuvieron una influencia significativa en sus prácticas de ahorro.…”

Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment of Wastewater Systems under Applying Water Demand Management Policies

“…However, water scarcity has become one of the most significant global crises, especially in arid areas [4], which is predicted to be aggravated by global societal and climate changes in the future and cause a reduction in water accessibility and quality [5]. Thus, sustainable water management, as one of the most significant parts of the water cycle [6], is among the most important challenges for humanity in the future, particularly in the urban sustainability context [7]. Indeed, urban areas are specifically at risk of water scarcity, and securing future water supplies has become a crucial policy challenge for decision-makers [5,6], as there is a threat to the sustainability of urban water infrastructures [8].…”

“…Indeed, urban areas are specifically at risk of water scarcity, and securing future water supplies has become a crucial policy challenge for decision-makers [5,6], as there is a threat to the sustainability of urban water infrastructures [8]. Hence, water demand reduction has been considered a fundamental part of water management programs [5,7]. In this regard, different policies of urban water planning, such as water demand management policies (WDMPs), have been employed so far [9], which, in turn, can directly/indirectly affect the sustainable development of cities [10] and could even influence urban water infrastructures [11].…”