“Who Cares?”: The Acceptance of Decentralized Wastewater Systems in Regions without Water Problems

Cristina Gómez-Román, Luisa Lima, Sergio Vila-Tojo, Andrea Correa-Chica, Juan Lema and José-Manuel Sabucedo
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Cristina Gómez-Román: CRETUS Institute and Department of Social Psychology, Basic and Methodology, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15705 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Luisa Lima: CIS-IUL/ISCTE, Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, 1649-026 Lisboa, Portugal
Sergio Vila-Tojo: CRETUS Institute and Department of Social Psychology, Basic and Methodology, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15705 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Andrea Correa-Chica: Department of Social Psychology, Basic and Methodology, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15705 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Juan Lema: CRETUS Institute and Department of Chemical Engineering, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15705 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
José-Manuel Sabucedo: CRETUS Institute and Department of Social Psychology, Basic and Methodology, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15705 Santiago de Compostela, Spain

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 23, 1-16

Abstract: There is a growing interest in decentralized wastewater treatment systems, especially in regions with water scarcity problems or water management issues. This study aims to determine whether the perceived advantages and disadvantages (leading to acceptance) of decentralized wastewater plants in such regions are the same in regions where the population is not aware of these water issues. Firstly, this study systematically reviews previous findings on public perceptions of the acceptance of decentralized wastewater treatment systems. Then, the study details the results of a focus group study to determine whether the elements identified in the literature are also relevant in a region where people are unaware of water problems. The results show that a lack of awareness of water issues seems to be a critical factor influencing acceptance. Reframing the usefulness of these systems by focusing on other aspects, such as environmental sustainability, is key.

Keywords: decentralized plants; systematic review; focus group; public acceptance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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