“Day Zero: Cape Town Includes Fear Appeal to Avoid Running Out of Water” has been designated a Landmark behavior change case study and added to the collection of over 200 behavior change case studies available at www.toolsofchange.com. Tools of Change Landmark case studies are peer-selected to recognize behavior change programs and approaches that are among the most successful, innovative, replicable and adaptable in the world. For information on our case study nomination process go to www.toolsofchange.com/en/landmark/. The next deadline for nominating programs is June 6, 2022.
Fear appeals must be carefully considered as they can too-easily backfire and discourage people from taking in and acting on our messages. And why spread fear unnecessarily? This case study illustrates an appropriate and effective use of a fear appeal to reduce water consumption in Cape Town South Africa. It tracks 30 years, from the time the City predicted severe water shortages to the point where the taps nearly ran dry and this city of four million people reduced water use enough to avoid disaster. https://toolsofchange.com/en/case-studies/detail/735
