A Longitudinal Study of Domestic Water Conservation Behavior

Moore, S., Murphy, M., & Watson, R. (1994). A longitudinal study of domestic water conservation behavior. Population and Environment: A Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 16, 2, 175-189.

Compared the results of a 1988 study (1,800 Ss) conducted in a metropolitan and a regional urban area of Australia on knowledge, attitudes, intentions, and behavior regarding water management and conservation with those of a 1991 follow-up (1,555 Ss), utilizing both longitudinal and cross-sectional samples of students, teachers, and parents. In addition, the study sought to identify factors influential in change and the extent to which the pattern of relationships between knowledge, attitudes, intentions, and behaviors had remained stable over time. Results indicate that there was a move toward greater conservation as measured by the variables studied over the 3-yr period, that media interventions and water costs were perceived as influential in this change, and that reported conserving behavior continued to be better predicted by stated intentions than by knowledge.

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