Familiar Taste, Safer Choices: Sensory Heuristics and the Adoption of Clean Water

Giulia Buccione () and Martín A. Rossi ()
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Giulia Buccione: CEMFI, Centro de Estudios Monetarios y Financieros, https://www.cemfi.es/
Martín A. Rossi: Universidad de San Andrés, https://udesa.edu.ar/

Working Papers from CEMFI

Abstract: We provide experimental evidence from rural Egypt on the benefits of incorporating sensory familiarity into the design of health interventions in developing countries. Using a “tastepreserving” filtration technology that mimics the local water profile, we find adoption rates of 91 percent, far exceeding the 50 percent ceiling previously documented for chlorinated water. Willingness to pay is 61 percent higher for filtered water than chlorinated water. Mechanism tests show that familiar taste strongly shapes perceptions of water’s healthiness, suggesting that alignment with imprinted sensory preferences improves uptake of health technologies.

Keywords: Chlorination; water-borne diseases; field experiments; Egypt. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C93 D10 I10 Q53 Z10 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025-11
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