Mitigating stigma associated with recycled water

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Author(s)Ellis, Sean F.
Author(s)Savchenko, Olesya M.
Author(s)Messer, Kent D.
Date Accessioned2022-01-31T18:33:38Z
Date Available2022-01-31T18:33:38Z
Publication Date2021-10-07
DescriptionThis article was originally published in American Journal of Agricultural Economics. The version of record is available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/ajae.12256en_US
AbstractStigmatization of water and food products can constrain markets and prevent the implementation of scientifically safe solutions to environmental problems, such as water scarcity. Recycled water can be a cost-effective, dependable, and safe solution to water shortages. However, consumers generally either require a large reduction in price to purchase products made with recycled water or reject such products outright. If emerging sustainable agricultural technologies, such as recycled water, are to be used to address growing water shortages worldwide, policymakers, water managers, and industry stakeholders must identify effective strategies for mitigating the stigma associated with recycled water. Using field experiments involving 1420 adult participants, we test the effectiveness of two stigma-mitigating techniques. We also demonstrate a novel twist to the collection of representative samples in non-hypothetical field experimental settings and then compare the results to a more traditional field experiment that recruited participants at large public gatherings. The analysis of these two different samples suggests a common finding: passing recycled water through a natural barrier, such as an aquifer, removes the stigma consumers would otherwise attach to it. We also find that the trophic level an organism occupies in the food chain influences stigmatizing behavior. The greater the steps in the food chain between an organism and the use of recycled water, the less it is stigmatized by consumers. These results have important implications for efforts to promote large-scale potable and non-potable water recycling projects and the use of recycled water in the agricultural industry.en_US
SponsorUSDA National Institute for Food and Agriculture, Grant/Award Number: 20166800725064; CONSERVE: A Center of Excellence at the Nexus of Sustainable Water Reuse, Food, and Health, USDA National Institute for Food and Agriculture, Grant/Award Number: 2019-67023-29854; National Science Foundation's EPSCoR, Grant/Award Number: 1757353; entitled “Water in the Changing Coastal Environmental of Delaware”en_US
CitationEllis, Sean F., Savchenko, Olesya M., Messer, Kent D.. 2021. “ Mitigating stigma associated with recycled water.” American Journal of Agricultural Economics 1– 23. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajae.12256en_US
ISSN1467-8276
URLhttps://udspace.udel.edu/handle/19716/30221
Languageen_USen_US
PublisherAmerican Journal of Agricultural Economicsen_US
Keywordsaquifer rechargeen_US
Keywordsdroughten_US
Keywordsirrigationen_US
Keywordsrecycled wateren_US
Keywordsrepresentative samplingen_US
Keywordstrophic levelsen_US
Keywordswater managementen_US
TitleMitigating stigma associated with recycled wateren_US
TypeArticleen_US
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