Cameron, T. A., and M. Wright (February, 1990) “ The Determinants of Household Water Conservation Retrofit Activity, ” Water Resources Research.
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Trumbo, C. W., et al. (1999) “Antecedent precipitation as a methodological concern in attitude surveys on water conservation,” Water Resources Research, 35 (4), 1269-1273.
Are precipitation cycles a factor in analyses of water conservation attitudes? This article reports a post hoc analysis of two independently generated data sets examining water conservation attitudes in Reno, Nevada, in 1994 and 1997 (dry and wet years, respectively). Six attitudinal and behavior variables are contrasted across time (attitude toward water conservation, self-efficacy for water conservation, perceived social normative pressure, reported conservation behavior, percentage of yard in grass, and perceived value of landscaping), controlling for three demographic variables that shifted significantly across the time span (income, single family home occupancy, and home value). Results confirm expectations of more positive attitudes toward water conservation and less variance in those attitudes during the dry period, as well as a stronger attitude-behavior correlation then. While unmeasured variables could be at play, results suggest that precipitation could be an important factor to consider when investigating attitude-behavior associations for water conservation.
Michelsen, A. M., J. T. McGuckin, and D. Stumpf (1999) “Nonprice water conservation programs as a demand management tool,” Journal of the American Water Resources Association, 35 (3), 593-602.
Water providers nationwide are implementing nonprice conservation measures such as education, public information, appliance retrofit and ordinances, with the expectation that these programs will reduce residential water demand. However, little empirical information exists on the effectiveness of nonprice conservation programs in reducing water demand. Previous econometric studies indicate these programs have had minimal impact. We examine the types and number of major nonprice conservation programs that have been implemented during an Ii-year period in seven cities in the southwestern United States. A cross sectional, monthly time series residential water demand model, with parameters to control for variation in prices, temperature, precipitation and other factors, was used to empirically investigate the effectiveness of nonprice conservation programs in reducing water demand. We found significant reductions in use ranging between 1.1 percent and 4.0 percent per program. Because of the lack of information, we were unable to distinguish the effectiveness of individual or specific types of programs. Beyond finding that nonprice programs can be effective in reducing demand, questions regarding the efficiency and benefits to be achieved by conservation remain. As a step towards separating and evaluating the effects of individual programs, program benefits and efficiency, we recommend that utilities maintain more detailed and consistent information regarding the implementation of their nonprice programs.
Smith, V. K. and C. Mansfield (1998). “Buying time: Real and hypothetical offers.” Journal of Environmental Economics and Management 36(3): 209-224.
This article provides the results of a field test of contingent valuation estimates within a willingness to accept framework. Using dichotomous choice questions in telephone-mail-telephone interviews, we compare survey respondents' responses to real and hypothetical offers for the opportunity to spend time in a second set of interviews on an undisclosed topic. Five hundred and forty people were randomly split between the real and hypothetical treatments. Our findings indicate no significant differences between people's choices with real and hypothetical offers. Choice models were not significantly different between real and hypothetical offers. (C) 1998 Academic Press.
Nieswiadomy, M. C. S. L. (1993) “Impact of Pricing Structure Selectivity on Urban Water Demand,” Contemporary Policy Issues, 11 (3), 101-113.