Influences of Building Characteristics and Attitudes on Water Conservation Behavior of Rural Residents

Yan Liu, Yan Wang, Han Zhao, Yibin Ao and Linchuan Yang
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Yan Liu: School of Public Affairs and Administration, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, China
Yan Wang: Department of Engineering Management, Sichuan College of Architectural Technology, Deyang 618000, China
Han Zhao: China Southwest Geotechnical Investigation & Design Institute Co. Ltd., Chengdu 610051, China
Yibin Ao: College of Environment and Civil Engineering, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China
Linchuan Yang: School of Architecture and Design, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 611756, China

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 18, 1-21

Abstract: Urbanization promotes the development of human civilization but brings great challenges, such as air pollution, lack of water resources, and environmental damage, to the natural environment. Water conservation effectively alleviates the lack of water resources. Existing studies mostly focus on water conservation behavior in urban areas and overlook rural areas. This study takes rural residents in Chengdu as the research object and selects four villages to conduct empirical research and fill this research gap. A total of 165 valid questionnaires are collected after face-to-face interviews. First, descriptive analysis is used to analyze the current situation of rural residents’ water conservation behavior. Second, exploratory factor analysis and the binary logistic regression model are used to explore the relationship between building characteristics, water conservation attitudes, and water conservation behavior. The results show that (1) the rural residents’ water conservation attitude plays an important role in water conservation behavior; “environmental values” is the most significant factor, followed by “saving money and joint participation;” (2) rural building characteristics such as layout of the kitchen and shower facilities significantly affect the water conservation behavior of rural residents. Based on the analysis, several suggestions are made for building a new water-saving rural area in Chengdu, such as strengthening the publicity and education of water-saving behavior and subsidizing water-saving facilities. This research provides a theoretical basis for local government departments to formulate relevant policies and serves as a valuable reference for the protection of water resources in other rural areas.

Keywords: building characteristic; water conservation behavior; water conservation attitude; binary logistic regression model; Sichuan; China (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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