Evaluation of the factors affecting water-saving attitudes of urban life on the verge of the next century: a case study of the Mediterranean region of Turkey

Abstract

Abstract The World Food and Agriculture Organization claims the percentage of the overall world population that will suffer from water scarcity and water stress by 2025 is estimated as 34% and 15%, respectively. Accordingly, it can be estimated that 40% of the 9.4 billion estimated world population will face water shortages by 2050. In this case, the ownership and efficient use of water stand out as common concerns for all communities in the world for today and for the future. In this research, the attitudes of consumers towards water saving were identified and factors that affect these attitudes were analysed within a sample from the Mediterranean region of Turkey. The survey was conducted through a face-to-face survey with 965 households in three Turkish provinces in 2009. SPSS statistical package was used for factor analysis to determine the affecting factors. Variables affecting water-saving decisions were reduced to seven factors via 0.792 KMO value. These seven factors explained 62.18% of the total variation in water-saving consciousness of the target group. Accordingly, it was understood that marketing policies should focus on water crisis awareness, environmental awareness, anxiety about water shortage, residential area characteristics, water pricing, the current awareness level and social willingness on reduction of water use to cope with possible problems.