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Influences of Public Ecological Awareness and Price on Potable Water Consumption in Geneva

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Book cover Climate Change and the Sustainable Use of Water Resources

Part of the book series: Climate Change Management ((CCM))

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Abstract

The specific attitudes and behaviour of individuals in a given society must be properly understood in order to develop adequate and relevant public policies regarding water consumption. For this reason, we conducted a survey to measure the perception of the Geneva population regarding the main social aspects of water consumption. Our sample, collected between November 2006 and February 2007, numbers 907 valid questionnaires. We observed that most respondents indicate that they have an ecological awareness regarding their daily consumption of freshwater. However, we also discovered a lack of information, e.g. people are neither able to quantify water price, nor their individual consumption (for drinking, cleaning, washing, etc.). Non-parametrical statistical tests have highlighted a weak correlation between water price increase and consumption. Also, people who directly pay their water bills seem to be more concerned by water consumption than others. This and other elements of perception regarding public water consumption have been analysed with the aim to provide recommendations for better demand management policies.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the students of Laboratoire d’Études de Marché (LEM) of Geneva Haute École de Gestion—Geneva School of Business Administration who participated in the construction of the survey, the data collection, and the transcription of answers. Without them, this research would not have been possible. An earlier version of this paper was presented at Climate–Klima 2010 online conference organized by the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, Hamburg, Germany, 1–7 November 2010. Also, a previous version was presented at the International World Water Association’s XIIIth World Water Congress held in Montpellier, France, 1–4 September 2008. Thus, we would like to thank the participants of both events as well as an anonymous reviewer for their valuable feedback.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Haute École de Gestion de Genève, Geneva School of Business Administration, Campus Battelle—Bât. F 7, Route de Drize, 1227, Carouge, Geneva, Switzerland

    Giuseppe Catenazzo, Jennifer D’Urso, Emmanuel Fragnière & Jean Tuberosa

Authors
  1. Giuseppe Catenazzo
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  2. Jennifer D’Urso
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  3. Emmanuel Fragnière
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  4. Jean Tuberosa
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Wissenschaften Hamburg, Forschungs- und Transferzentrum,, Hochschule für Angewandte, Lohbruegger Kirchstr. 65, Hamburg, 21033, Germany

    Walter Leal Filho

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Catenazzo, G., D’Urso, J., Fragnière, E., Tuberosa, J. (2012). Influences of Public Ecological Awareness and Price on Potable Water Consumption in Geneva . In: Leal Filho, W. (eds) Climate Change and the Sustainable Use of Water Resources. Climate Change Management. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-22266-5_32

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-22266-5_32

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-22265-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-22266-5

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