Taking It for the Team: How Communication and Voting Increases Social Acceptance of Recycled Water
Abstract Recycled water offers significant societal benefits, yet public acceptance remains a critical barrier to its use. In this study, we evaluate how communication and group voting rules influence study participants' acceptance of recycled water. Using a framed economic field experiment wit...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Water Resources Research |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2024WR038803 |
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| author | Diya Ganguly Olesya M. Savchenko Julia Parker Kent D. Messer |
| author_facet | Diya Ganguly Olesya M. Savchenko Julia Parker Kent D. Messer |
| author_sort | Diya Ganguly |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Recycled water offers significant societal benefits, yet public acceptance remains a critical barrier to its use. In this study, we evaluate how communication and group voting rules influence study participants' acceptance of recycled water. Using a framed economic field experiment with 211 adults from the mid‐Atlantic region of the United States, we measured the participants' willingness to accept (WTA) compensation to drink potable recycled sewer water and spring water in private and group settings. We conducted non‐parametric statistical tests to measure the effectiveness of communication treatments in group settings and used a random effects Tobit regression to analyze the determinants of participants' WTA compensation to drink recycled water and spring water. Despite both water types being physically safe, participants demanded significantly less compensation to consume recycled water in a group setting, demonstrating a readiness to prioritize collective welfare over personal preferences. This finding highlights a willingness to “take it for the team” when group decision‐making is involved. Our analysis also shows that communication within a group is effective at lowering the amount of compensation participants require to drink recycled water. Unlike most existing research, which focuses solely on private preferences for recycled water, our study provides insights into the impacts of group decision‐making processes, offering policy‐relevant implications for increasing recycled water adoption. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e64468f0179845a8b18b4c2c1343edbf |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0043-1397 1944-7973 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Water Resources Research |
| spelling | doaj-art-e64468f0179845a8b18b4c2c1343edbf2025-08-20T03:31:40ZengWileyWater Resources Research0043-13971944-79732025-06-01616n/an/a10.1029/2024WR038803Taking It for the Team: How Communication and Voting Increases Social Acceptance of Recycled WaterDiya Ganguly0Olesya M. Savchenko1Julia Parker2Kent D. Messer3Department of Applied Economics and Statistics University of Delaware Newark DE USAFood and Resource Economics Department University of Florida Gainesville FL USADepartment of Applied Economics and Statistics University of Delaware Newark DE USADepartment of Applied Economics and Statistics University of Delaware Newark DE USAAbstract Recycled water offers significant societal benefits, yet public acceptance remains a critical barrier to its use. In this study, we evaluate how communication and group voting rules influence study participants' acceptance of recycled water. Using a framed economic field experiment with 211 adults from the mid‐Atlantic region of the United States, we measured the participants' willingness to accept (WTA) compensation to drink potable recycled sewer water and spring water in private and group settings. We conducted non‐parametric statistical tests to measure the effectiveness of communication treatments in group settings and used a random effects Tobit regression to analyze the determinants of participants' WTA compensation to drink recycled water and spring water. Despite both water types being physically safe, participants demanded significantly less compensation to consume recycled water in a group setting, demonstrating a readiness to prioritize collective welfare over personal preferences. This finding highlights a willingness to “take it for the team” when group decision‐making is involved. Our analysis also shows that communication within a group is effective at lowering the amount of compensation participants require to drink recycled water. Unlike most existing research, which focuses solely on private preferences for recycled water, our study provides insights into the impacts of group decision‐making processes, offering policy‐relevant implications for increasing recycled water adoption.https://doi.org/10.1029/2024WR038803recycled waterwillingness to acceptsocial preferencesvoting ruleseconomic field experimentcommunication |
| spellingShingle | Diya Ganguly Olesya M. Savchenko Julia Parker Kent D. Messer Taking It for the Team: How Communication and Voting Increases Social Acceptance of Recycled Water Water Resources Research recycled water willingness to accept social preferences voting rules economic field experiment communication |
| title | Taking It for the Team: How Communication and Voting Increases Social Acceptance of Recycled Water |
| title_full | Taking It for the Team: How Communication and Voting Increases Social Acceptance of Recycled Water |
| title_fullStr | Taking It for the Team: How Communication and Voting Increases Social Acceptance of Recycled Water |
| title_full_unstemmed | Taking It for the Team: How Communication and Voting Increases Social Acceptance of Recycled Water |
| title_short | Taking It for the Team: How Communication and Voting Increases Social Acceptance of Recycled Water |
| title_sort | taking it for the team how communication and voting increases social acceptance of recycled water |
| topic | recycled water willingness to accept social preferences voting rules economic field experiment communication |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1029/2024WR038803 |
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