The Ways People Think About Water

Despite the significance of water in all facets of human life, there is little replicated information about how people think about the resource. In this study, two samples of people were asked how often they "thought about water" in fourteen different contexts varying from the "rights to water" and its environmental and aesthetic significance, to aspects of water as a domestic commodity. The responses to many questions were often skewed. Responses to the questions were found to be largely independent. However, three con­ sistent factors emerged: "conservation," "aesthetics,"and "utility." Cluster analysis showed consistent patterns of responses between the two samples. Attitudes toward personal rights to water was an influential variable in cluster analysis. Cluster membership did not relate to household water consumption. Further research, using hierarchical models of thinking and relating cluster membership to water-policy attitudes is suggested.

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