Bradley S. Jorgensen

Household water use behavior: an integrated model.

Water authorities are dealing with the challenge of ensuring that there is enough water to meet demand in the face of drought, population growth and predictions of reduced supply due to climate change. In order to develop effective household demand management programs, water managers need to understand the factors that influence household water use. Following an examination and re-analysis of current water consumption behavioral models we propose a new model for understanding household water consumption. We argue that trust plays a role in household water consumption, since people will not save water if they feel others are not minimizing their water use (inter-personal trust). Furthermore, people are less likely to save water if they do not trust the water authority (institutional trust). This paper proposes that to fully understand the factors involved in determining household water use the impact of trust on water consumption needs investigation.

Developing an approach for tourism climate change assessment: evidence from four contrasting Australian case studies

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has identified Australia as among the developed nations most at risk from climate change effects. Key tourism icon destinations and the tourism sector generally have been identified as being particularly at risk. This paper reports on an interdisciplinary, multi-case study approach to assess tourism stakeholders knowledge of, and approaches to, climate change adaptation and to explore the potential for building a self-assessment toolkit that can be exported to other tourism destinations. This study examined existing knowledge on anticipated biophysical changes and, through primary research (stakeholder interviews and social learning workshops), gauged the expected adaptive approaches of destination communities and the tourism sector to these changes for 2020, 2050 and 2070. The facilitated workshops generated a common set of adaptation strategies across a diverse set of tourist destinations. A key finding from the workshops is that the tourism sector is not yet ready to invest in climate change adaptation because of the perceived uncertainties. Ongoing leadership for such measures were seen to rest with the public sector, especially local authorities. Whether such assessments can be self-generated or require specialist facilitation remains open to debate.

Predicting Household Water Consumption With Individual-Level Variables

Few studies investigating the psychological determinants of water consumption and conservation use metered household water data. Studies that have used metered consumption have found that individual-level motivations are often weak predictors. This may be due to the psychological determinants being measured at the individual level and metered consumption at the household level. This article contributes to the water consumption literature by (a) identifying the determinants of change in water consumption over time and (b) testing effects in single-person households where levels of analysis are equivalent. We applied models to data from South Australia (N = 410) and Victoria (N = 205) and found that variables at the individual, household, dwelling, and regional levels predict the initial level of consumption and/or its rate of change. Some individual-level variables were not significant predictors of household consumption but did predict individual consumption. We discuss these results in light of previous research and offer avenues for future research.

Measuring the spatial component of sense of place: a methodology for research on the spatial dynamics of psychological experiences of places

Psychometric approaches to measuring sense-of-place variables have focused primarily on the strength of association between individuals and some researcher-defined spatial object. Environmental psychology also has a long tradition of mapping spatial settings and developing methods in natural resource management for measuring the spatial component of sense of place. Our work describes these methods and integrates them with an atittudinal approach that captures individual-level spatial variation and its meaning. We present and demonstrate a complementary data-analysis approach that uses structural equation modelling to integrate the spatial and physical features of places with attitude and behavioural variables. We identify relationships between variables coded from mapping data and attitudes, and demonstrate that this type of spatial data can be modelled using structural equation techniques.

Some difficulties and inconsistencies when using habit strength and reasoned action variables in models of metered household water conservation.

Research employing household water consumption data has sought to test models of water demand and conservation using variables from attitude theory. A significant, albeit unrecognised, challenge has been that attitude models describe individual-level motivations while consumption data is recorded at the household level thereby creating inconsistency between units of theory and measurement. This study employs structural equation modelling and moderated regression techniques to addresses the level of analysis problem, and tests hypotheses by isolating effects on water conservation in single-person households. Furthermore, the results question the explanatory utility of habit strength, perceived behavioural control, and intentions for understanding metered water conservation in single-person households. For example, evidence that intentions predict water conservation or that they interact with habit strength in single-person households was contrary to theoretical expectations. On the other hand, habit strength, self-reports of past water conservation, and perceived behavioural control were good predictors of intentions to conserve water.

Understanding farmer intentions to connect to a modernised delivery system in an Australian irrigation district: a reasoned action approach

Australian governments have sought to invest in irrigation infrastructure to improve the efficiency of water delivery to rural properties and improve water supply and on-farm efficiency. A programme of rationalising irrigation infrastructure has attracted criticism and doubts about its likely success. Attitude theory in the form of the Reasoned Action Model was applied to understand the intentions of landowners to connect to a ‘modernised’ irrigation system. Attitudes towards connecting to the system, social norms and perceptions of control over the behaviour provided an explanation of intentions to connect. Actual financial capability and other variables were important in discriminating a group of landowners who had already connected to the modernised system from farmers who had not.

Understanding the biosecurity monitoring and reporting intentions of livestock producers: Identifying opportunities for behaviour change

In many countries, government strategies for biosecurity planning and outbreaks depend upon private livestock producers being willing and able to conduct surveillance of their animals and the timely reporting of suspicious signs of disease. From a behavioural perspective, these two kinds of behaviours - surveillance and reporting - should be treated separately when developing a biosecurity plan in which producers play a key role in the prevention, detection, and reporting of animal diseases. Having an effective surveillance system in place is conceptually and practically independent of a reporting system that is both feasible and trustworthy. The behavioural intentions of 200 Australian producers to monitor their livestock and report to either the government or a private vet were measured in a structured telephone interview. Structural equation modelling revealed that these intentions had different statistical relationships with a common set of predictor variables. Moreover, classification of the producers based on belief about monitoring and surveillance resulted in three contrasting groups. These results are discussed in terms of their meaning for the development of behavioural strategies to promote surveillance and monitoring of animal disease.

Can behavioural interventions increase citizens' use of e-government? Evidence from a quasi-experimental trial

Abstract Low uptake is one of the largest risks facing government agencies that seek to increase efficiency and reduce costs by providing services online. To date, very few studies have tested interventions to increase citizens use of e-government services. Instead, almost all existing research has focused on identifying correlates of adoption. In the current study, we developed an intervention to increase citizens use of an e-government service and tested it using a quasi-experiment. The intervention used several techniques informed by research from the applied behavioural sciences to encourage usage, including: altering defaults (customers who visited a customer service centre were invited to complete a form online rather than joining a queue), providing facilitating conditions (customer support was made available), and promoting the benefits and ease of the online service (a customer service representative and in-store written materials emphasised these points). Results indicated that the intervention significantly increased customers use of the online service by 14.1 percentage points, 95% CI [9.1, 19.2]. Additionally, a survey of customers who experienced the intervention showed they were highly satisfied and appreciated the time-saving benefits, ease of use, and customer support provided. This study is among the first to provide a rigorous test of an intervention to encourage citizens to use e-government services, and can be used to inform practical efforts to increase e-government uptake.

Local government perspectives on rural retirement migration and social sustainability

ABSTRACT Within the policy and academic literature, the impact of rural retirement migration (RRM) on community sustainability has been questioned. This qualitative study investigated the perceived impact of retirement migration on rural social sustainability from a local government perspective. Focus groups were conducted with local government senior managers and community services staff (n = 39) across six rural local government areas in one Australian state. Data were analysed against the three components of rural social sustainability (equity, community and rurality) proposed by Jones and Tonts [1995. “Rural Restructuring and Social Sustainability: Some Reflections on the Western Australian Wheatbelt.” Australian Geographer 26: 133–140]. While RRM is perceived to benefit rural community capacity to facilitate or maintain equity, community and rurality, it also presents challenges for local government. Participants suggested that capacity to facilitate equity, community and rurality in contexts of RRM was impacted by uncertainty around future impacts of RRM on population ageing, increasing advocacy and expectations of older in-migrants, and the impact of RRM on rural heterogeneity. These issues required local governments to think critically about how to accommodate and manage the needs and expectations of older in-migrants, while mediating potential impacts associated with RRM.

Behaviour change: Trialling a novel approach to reduce industrial stormwater pollution

The evidence base for the performance and effectiveness of non-structural measures to manage stormwater pollution in industrial areas is relatively underdeveloped, despite their increased use in practice. This study aims to advance stormwater management practice and research by presenting a detailed case study of the development, implementation and evaluation of a targeted behaviour change trial that engaged small to medium industrial businesses in stormwater pollution prevention. Utilising a combination of different behaviour change strategies - including capacity building, social norms and commitment - a number of preventative stormwater pollution behaviours were changed in participating businesses. Our study provides a practice model for tackling stormwater pollution from a behavioural perspective that can be further developed by both practitioners and researchers to create effective and long-lasting change.