Ever wonder what’s really going on in Utahns’ minds and hearts when it comes to water? A new values study conducted by Envision Utah, Utah Water Ways, and others helps us understand not just what Utahns care about, but why Utahns care about the things they do. These findings are invaluable for anyone in water policy or public messaging.
Full Abstract:Envision Utah and Utah Water Ways, along with other partners around the state, just completed a landmark research project to understand what’s in Utahns’ hearts and minds when it comes to water issues. Our findings tell us not just what Utahns care about, but why Utahns care about the things they do. This research will provide invaluable insights for anyone involved in water policy or public messaging.
Among other things, we found that:
- Utahns have high awareness and concern about water issues — though not quite as high as some other western states.
- Many Utahns have a high sense of self-efficacy when it comes to water — they believe they can make a meaningful difference in water conservation.
- Utahns believe that state and municipal governments bear a lot of responsibility to reduce individual water use.
- Utahns have some significant misconceptions about how water is used and what strategies would do the most to reduce household and community water use.
In addition, our findings also include “values maps” that represent how Utahns connect water to their deeply held priorities. We also have findings related to landscaping preferences, effective messages to motivate individual behavior changes, and even the words and phrases that Utahns best respond to.
Attendees will learn the answers to these important questions (i.e., learning objectives):
- What does the public understand — and misunderstand — about key water issues?
- What water-related issues do Utahns most care about? Why do Utahns care about those issues?
- What are the deeply held values and beliefs that motivate their priorities?
- What kinds of tradeoffs are Utahns willing to make to serve their priorities?
- How do priorities, values, and tradeoffs differ by region or other demographics?
- How do we most effectively communicate about water-related issues to motivate behavior change?
This research is hot off the presses — symposium attendees will be among the first to see the results. The research was conducted with a week-long online focus group and a random-sample survey of 800 Utahns.
