Sophia Shaw-Brown
Academic and research departments
School of Psychology, Environmental Psychology Research Group (EPRG), Habit Application and Theory group (HabitAT).About
My research project
Towards public acceptability of water conservation interventions: Understanding water literacy among the general publicShould the current trajectory continue, England faces a deficit of nearly 5 billion litres of freshwater per day by 2050. The water industry acknowledges that technology alone cannot alleviate this crisis and has urgently called for behavioural scientists to address this challenge; new, innovative demand-side behaviour change interventions targeting domestic water consumption behaviour are required, as current approaches show limited long-term success.
For interventions to be effective, they must be acceptable to the UK public. Acceptability of water conservation interventions will likely be shaped by the public’s ‘water literacy’ - i.e., knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours related to water use. This PhD will develop a robust, quantitative measure of water literacy, examining how water literacy influences acceptability of conservation interventions and willingness to adhere to water-saving guidance. It will also identify key predictors and socio-demographic factors that shape literacy, and gaps in public understanding of water use and conservation, furthering theory and evidence in this area.
Supervisors
Should the current trajectory continue, England faces a deficit of nearly 5 billion litres of freshwater per day by 2050. The water industry acknowledges that technology alone cannot alleviate this crisis and has urgently called for behavioural scientists to address this challenge; new, innovative demand-side behaviour change interventions targeting domestic water consumption behaviour are required, as current approaches show limited long-term success.
For interventions to be effective, they must be acceptable to the UK public. Acceptability of water conservation interventions will likely be shaped by the public’s ‘water literacy’ - i.e., knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours related to water use. This PhD will develop a robust, quantitative measure of water literacy, examining how water literacy influences acceptability of conservation interventions and willingness to adhere to water-saving guidance. It will also identify key predictors and socio-demographic factors that shape literacy, and gaps in public understanding of water use and conservation, furthering theory and evidence in this area.