Water Conservation Behavior and Environmental Concerns

Water conservation represents one important pro-environmental behavior for a sustainable environment. This paper investigates the link between water conservation behavior and general environmental concerns using a large dataset as the1998 wave of Multipurpose Household Survey conducted annually by the Italian Central Statistical Office. Univariate probit models show that pollution and resource exhaustion are positively related to individual water conservation behavior while alteration of environmental heritage exhibits a negative relationship with water saving behavior. These findings are robust to the inclusion of environment knowledge and social capital variables. The robustness analysis also indicates that television and radio, participation to environmental initiatives, money for environmental protection and churchgoing are significant determinants of water conservation behavior.